AEROMICROBIOLOGY

PRESENTED TO: DR NAEEM ALI

PRESENTED BY: SIDRA BATOOL
KANWAL RAFIQUE
AMMARA TAYYAB
 WHAT IS AEROMICROBIOLOGY?
• Aeromicrobiology is the study of those invisible microorganism(which are less than size
1mm & are not visible through naked eye)which are present in air.

• The study of aerosolization, aerial transmission and deposition of biological materials.

• Thi s field also includes the study of diseases trnasmitted through respiratory route.

• The field of aeromicrobiology is important as it involves:

oformation of aerosols.
otheir transmission.
oDeposition in soil
 BRIEF INTRODUCTION
• In 1860’s as a new field of microbiology by louis pasteur
• In 1930,F.C.Meier described a project regarding
aeromicrobiology
• This field of science is particularly important in:
Environmental sciences
Public health
Industrial engineering
Agricultural engineering
Biological warfare
Space exploration
Environments of microbes revised.

AIR

SOIL WATER
 TYPES OF AEROMICROBIOLOGY
EXTRAMURAL AEROMICROBIOLOGY:
Study of microbes associated with outdoor
environment.
For example:
AGRICULTURE
WASTE DISPOSAL
GERM WARFARE
 INTRAMURAL AEROMICROBIOLOGY
Aeromicrobiology associated with indoor
environment:
For example:
Buildings
Hospitals
Laboratories
ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS
AFFECTING MICROBES SURVIVAL
Microbes are continually in the
state of stress
Oxygen stress(OAF) and ionic stress
Temperature stress
Moisture stress
UV-radiation stress
 OXYGENIC AND IONIC STRESS
Higher level of oxygen and its reactive forms causes
inactivation of enzymes
damage to DNA
inactivation of nucleic acids
Naturally occuring ions causes ionic stress by
lightening
water shearing
ion displacement
NOTE: +ve ions cause physical damage to microbes
-ve ions causes both physical and chemical damage
 TEMPERATURE STRESS
Both higher and lower temperature causes
damage to the microbes
• Higher temperature causes inactivation by
denaturing proteins and enzymes.
•Lower temperature causes ice crystal formation
 MOISTURE STRESS
• High moisture causes death
• Low moisture cause damage to lipid bilayer
• Gram –ve survive better at low RH while
Gram+ve can’t.
• Virtus with nucleocapsid envelope survive at
<50%RH and they are better adapted in the
form of aerosols
 RADIATION STRESS
• Shorter wavelength and x-rays causes damage to
DNA by
 Single strand breaks
 Double strand breaks
 Alteration in struture of DNA
and also affect
• Genome replication
• Transcription
• Translation
 UV-induced damage

Change in the structure of the double

helix leads to mutations
• Most airborne pathogens have mechanisms to
resist UV, dessication
– spore formation
– pigments
 BIOAEROSOLS
• Biological contaminants occuring as solid or
liquid particles in air.
• Size :0.1-100µ
• May be single or in aggregate form
• May be adhere to dust particles or surrounded
by film of organic or inorganic matter
• Pathogenic for plants,animal and humans and
also damage inanimate materials
AEROMICROBES OF MAJOR CONCERN

Up to 70% of plant pathogens are airborne

Rusts (caused by fungi
Some citrus bacterial diseases
Diseases of livestock
Tuberculosis, brucellosis (bacterial diseases)
Aspergillus, Cryptococcosis (fungi)
Viral diseases
Diseases of humans
• Anthrax, tuberculosis, diptheria, typhoid fever (bacteria)
• Fungal diseases (includes “sick building syndrome”)
• Viruses (common colds, flu, chicken pox)
Coral diseases
Aspergillosis
 Pathogens in space

• 234 microbial species were identified on Mir

after 15 years in orbit
– 108 bacterial species, 126 fungal
– The greatest diversity of “technophylic” fungi (eat
polymers, corrode metals)
• Evidence of multispecies biofilm on decorative
surfaces

Novikova 2004
Pathogens at home
 HOW DO THINGS GET AIRBORNE?
Organisms self release into atmosphere:
fungal spores
Passive(Basidiomycetes)
Ballistic(Pylobolus)
Impact (Cup fungi,birds nest fungi)
Rust(passive wind born)
 SOURCES OF BIOAEROSOLS
Different sources of bioaerosols are
Point source:
isolated,well defined launching site
 Linear point source
 Continous point source
Area source:
large,well defined areas with more particulate
wave dispersion
 Linear area source
 Continous area source
 NATURE OF BIOAEROSOLS
• vary in size
• composition depends on:
 type of microbe/toxin
 type of particles associated
 gases in which they are suspended
• range of size 0.02-100 um in diameter
• Microbes associated with airborne particles
• Liquid or solid
AEROMICROBIOLOGICAL PATHWAY
• It describes the
• launching of microbes into the air
• transport via diffusion and dispersion
• deposition of bioaerosols
 THE ATMOSPHERE
• AMB pathway involves the atmosphere
• BOUNDARY LAYER= earth’s atmosphere to 0.1 km from surface. Most
significant in aeromicrobiology
• Composed of:
• Laminar boundary layer= still air associated with earth and projecting
solid/liquid surfaces. 1 um- several m thick depending on weather. If still,
the thickness increases
• Turbulent boundary layer= responsible for horizontal transport or wind
dispersion and is always in motion. In lower layers, its linear flow is
interrupted by projecting surfaces and the associated laminary layers.
Makes friction against airflow. It is apparent in SWIRLING turbulence
• Local eddy layer= zone of interaction between laminar layer and
turbulent boundary layer
 LAUNCHING
Process by which particles become suspended in the
earth’s atmosphere
• They must be launched for transportation
• Mainly from terrestrial/aquatic sources
• Reproduction limited when airborne
Launching by:
 air turbulence
 treatment and disposal of wastes
 natural mechanical processes like wind or water
 release of fungal spores
 TRANSPORT AND DISPERSION
Process by which KE provided by air movement
is transferred to airborne particles.
Transport results in dissemination of airborne
microbes over long distances.
• Forces like diffusion, inactivation and deposition
act .
• DIFFUSION is the dissipation of bioaerosols in
response to a conc. Gradient and gravity
• Transport is defined in terms of time and
distance covered by microbes:
• SUBMICROSCALE TRANSPORT= <10 min, <100
m in confined spaces like buildings
• MICROSCALE TRANSPORT= 10-60 min, 100-
1000 m.
• MESOSCALE TRANSPORT= days, up to 100 km
MACROSCALE TRANSPORT= even further
 DEPOSITION OF MICROBES
• The last step in AMB pathway is deposition of
microbes
• Bioaerosol leaves the turbulence of air and get
deposited over the surfaces by the following
mechanism:
• Gravity settling
• Downward molecular diffusion
• Rain and electrostatic deposition
SAMPLING DEVICES FOR THE COLLECTION OF
BIOAEROSOLS
• choice of sampling device depends on:
• availability
• cost
• volume of air to be sampled
• mobility
• sampling efficiency of the bioaerosol
• environmental factors under which sampling is to
happen
• biological sampling efficiency of device
 IMPRINGEMENT
• Impingement of microbes mean
to trap the microbes in liquid or
on surface by passing gas
through a device
• Impringer sucks air through
inlet, Passes through liquid
medium which traps air by
association with the matrix
• efficient for particles of size 0.8-
15 um
 IMPACTION
• In impaction:
• air sucked in and strikes
agar plates
• Separates particles based
on size:
Larger particles on first
layer, smaller
particles on successive
layers
 CENTRIFUGATION

In Centrifuge:
Air is sucked into a conical
tube to create a vortex of
sufficient velocity that
particles are sedimented
into a liquid trap at the base.
 CONTROL OF BIOAEROSOLS
• Microbes in the air are prevented from
accumulating by:
• Ventilation
• Filtration
• Biocidal control
• isolation
 VENTILATION

• Ventilation means the creation of flow of air

• Ventilation is carried out by opening window,
air conditioner.
• least effective, very important
• Mixing intramural with extramural for
reduction of conc. of microbes
 FILTRATION
• FILTRATION means Unidirectional airflow
• It is Simple and effective method.
• Filtration can be achieved by High Efficiency
Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that removes
almost all infectious particles
• HEPA filters are used In biological safety
hoods but they are very costly
 BIOCIDAL CONTROL
• BIOCIDAL CONTROL is added treatment used to eradicate
all airborne microbes, ensuring they are no longer viable
and capable of causing infection
• It involves
• Superheating
• super dehydration
• Ozonation
• UV irradiation
• UVGI or Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation is most
common
 ISOLATION
• ISOLATION include Enclosure of an env by using +ve or –ve
pressurized air gradients and airtight seals
• –ve pressure is cumulative airflow into isolated region
• used to protect patients in hospital from pathogens like TB
• air from here goes to HEPA filter, then biocidal control
chamber before entering atmosphere
• +ve pressure is force air out, protecting the patients inside
• immunosuppressed patients after organ transplant in
critical care wards, HIV wards, chemotherapy areas
• filtered through HEPA air circulates in here
 BIOSAFETY IN THE LABORATORY
• BIOSAFETY LABORATORIES:
• There are different levels of the laboratories
• Designed carefully to prevent from infectious
agents
• BSL-1
• BSL-2
• BSL-3
• BSL-4
 BIOLOGICAL AGENTS CLASSIFICATION
• Microbiological agents classify as:
• Risk group-I= microorganisms pose little or no hazard.
Can be handled safely without equipment.
• Risk group-II= low potential hazard. Disease if
accidentally injected. Can be contained by ordinary lab
techniques.
• Risk group-III= special containment, associated with
aerosol disease transmission.
• Risk group-IV=extreme containment. Extremely
hazardous. Serious epidemics
 CLASSIFICATION OF SAFETY CABINETS

• There are three types of safety cabinets:

• Class-I
• Class-II
• Class-III