AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Real-time Measurements Of Airborne Fungal Spores Biomarkers Using PILS-LC-MS/MS
ROLAND SARDA-ESTEVE, Nicolas Bonnaire, Marie-Helene Nadal, Lorna Foliot, Jean Sciare, LSCE
Abstract Number: 664 Working Group: Bioaerosols: Characterization and Environmental Impact
Abstract In recent years, the impact of primary biological aerosol particles on atmospheric processes and their ability to act as ice nuclei or cloud condensation nuclei has been studied with increasing intensity. Airborne fungal spores are considered as the dominant fraction of bioaerosols in the size range 2–10 micrometer. Recent studies have shown that the concentration of these fungal spores could be quantified using specific biomarkers (mannitol and arabitol) (Bauer et al., Atmos. Environ., 2008).
A new technique is presented here to investigate real-time concentrations of these two biomarkers (mannitol and arabitol) in ambient conditions. This technique is based on the coupling between a Particle-into-liquid-sampler (PILS), a liquid chromatography (LC) and an Electro Spray Ionisation source – tandem mass spectrometer (ESI-MS/MS, AB SCIEX model 3200 QTRAP). Ambient aerosols are collected at 15 LPM in the PILS and send into a 100µl loop of the LC at a flowrate of 50µl/min. Injection is performed every 12 min and separation is achieved using an Hypercarb column (Thermo Environment). Quantification of mannitol and arabitol is achieved in negative mode by ESI using a specific m/z transition in Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode. Four additional specific transitions are also monitored for each compound for confirmation purposes. A limit of quantification (LOQ) below 0.3 ng/m3 is calculated here for each compound.
Based on these settings, unattended measurements of mannitol and arabitol by PILS-LC-MS/MS have been performed every 12 min in the region of Paris (France) for a period of 2 weeks during summer (July 2013). Comparisons were performed using off-line (filter sampling) technique and an alternative analytical protocol using IC-PAD detection. Comparison with parallel measurements performed using Hirst collector and individual fungal spore counting were also performed showing the capability of our technique to document in a quantitative way real-time concentrations of airborne fungal spores.