Abstract Number: 21 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract Bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) represent good models for the study of airborne viruses as they are safe to use, some of them display features similar to human and animal viruses, and they are relatively easy to produce in large quantities. Accordingly, several studies have used phages as viral models in aerosol studies. Surprisingly, only few studies have compared the effect of aerosolization and sampling on different phages in order to validate their use as models. It has been demonstrated that aerosolization and sampling conditions can negatively affect virus infectivity, but this will vary from one virus to another. Thus, several viral models are needed to study these parameters and to eventually apply them to eukaryotic viruses.
The aim of this study was to compare the effect of aerosolization and sampling on viral infectivity of five tail-less bacteriophages: MS2 (ssRNA), Phi6 (segmented dsRNA), PhiX174 (ssDNA), PM2 (dsDNA), and PR772 (dsDNA). We tested two nebulization buffers: a salt solution and a salt solution complemented with organic matter. The aerosols were collected using a liquid cyclone (Biosampler) and a dry cyclone (the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 2-stages cyclone bioaerosols sampler). Samples were analyzed by plaque assay and qPCR.
Our results demonstrated that the five phages are indeed affected differently by aerosolization and sampling. Phages MS2 and PhiX174 are more resistant to aerosolization and sampling in dry condition than the three others. We also revealed that the presence of organic matter in the aerosol preserves the infectivity of sensitive phages throughout aerosolization and sampling with dry cyclones. These results will help in the selection of the appropriate phage model to mimic the behavior of human and animal viruses in aerosols.