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Concentrating viable airborne pathogens using a virtual impactor with a compact water-based condensation air sampler.
William B Vass1, Sripriya Nannu Shankar1,2, John A Lednicky3,4
1Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Aerosol Science and Technology : the Journal of the American Association for Aerosol Research
|November 4, 2024
Summary
This study improved airborne pathogen collection by adding a virtual impactor to the BioSpot-GEM sampler, significantly increasing the recovery of viable bacteria and viruses without compromising infectivity.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Aerosol science
- Public health
Background:
- Assessing airborne pathogen health risks requires evaluating infectivity, not just detection.
- Water-based condensation air samplers conserve microorganism viability.
- Existing samplers may benefit from improved particle concentration methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate performance enhancements of the BioSpot-GEM air sampler with an integrated virtual impactor (VI).
- To assess the impact of VI augmentation on the collection efficiency and viability of airborne pathogens.
- To compare the performance of the enhanced BioSpot-GEM with a larger sampler.
Main Methods:
- Augmenting the BioSpot-GEM air sampler with an upstream virtual impactor (VI).
- Measuring the collection efficiency and concentration factor for live *Escherichia coli* and human coronavirus OC43.
- Assessing the infectivity of collected human coronavirus OC43.
Main Results:
- The integrated unit increased live *E. coli* collection by a median Concentration Factor (Cf) of 1.59.
- The integrated unit increased viable human coronavirus OC43 recovery by a median Cf of 12.7.
- Human coronavirus OC43 concentration via VI did not significantly reduce infectivity.
Conclusions:
- Augmenting the BioSpot-GEM with a VI enhances viable airborne pathogen collection.
- This approach offers a more portable method for collecting viable pathogens.
- Further research is needed to address challenges of using VI with concentrated bioaerosols.
