Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2025
Detection of Viruses from Bioaerosols Using Anion Exchange Resin
Published on: August 22, 2018
PathoSift Pro: A novel size-based bioaerosol sampler for effectively detecting infectious airborne influenza virus
Xuan-Dung Nguyen1, Bac Le1, Qiongying Yang1
1NextGen Center for Influenza and Emerging Diseases, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 652011, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, College of Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
None:
Understanding the dynamics of airborne virus transmission requires precise tools for collecting and analyzing infectious aerosols. We present PathoSift Pro, a novel bioaerosol sampler engineered to efficiently collect and preserve viable airborne pathogens. Operating at a flow rate of 25 L/min, PathoSift Pro minimizes dehydration and re-aerosolization, overcoming the limitations of conventional samplers like the Andersen impactor. Using H1N1 influenza A virus as a model, our study demonstrated that PathoSift Pro effectively captured size distributions of virus-laden particles in simulated settings and maintained 74.76 % more viable viruses than the Andersen impactor. To further evaluate its field applicability, we tested PathoSift Pro through experiments using a pig model. Results showed that pigs exhibited aerosol size distributions similar to humans, with viable viruses detected in both aerosol (≤5 μm) and droplet (>5 μm) particles, supporting pigs as a translational model for influenza transmission studies. In summary, PathoSift Pro provides an effective tool for advancing research on airborne pathogens and elucidating airborne transmission dynamics.
