AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
A Novel Technology to Study the Longevity of Bioaerosol as a Function of Atmospheric Conditions
ALLEN E. HADDRELL, Mara Otero, Alice Barber, Richard Thomas, Jonathan P. Reid, University of Bristol
Abstract Number: 230 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract The need for a detailed understanding of the factors that determine the lifetime of aerosolized microorganisms is crucial to predict and mitigate the outbreak of disease. Although critical, the study of bioaerosol while suspended in air is challenging for a number of reasons: (a) the stable, reliable and gentle generation of a bioaerosol is key to producing consistent results(1); (b) the bioaerosol must be suspended for prolonged periods of time in a stable and controllable environment(2); and (c) the bioaerosol must be readily removed from the gas phase and deposited onto a substrate for further analysis (e.g. to test viability). As a consequence, there is a demand for novel robust technologies to study the viability of bioaerosol.
The ideal device to study bioaerosol would produce and suspend single bioaerosol droplets in a controllable fashion to probe their viability as a function of atmospheric conditions. The absence of a comprehensive tool capable of making reliable measurements while minimizing the amount of damage caused to the microorganism during generation has limited the understanding in this field.
In this study, a novel technology (utilizing electrodynamic levitation) and methodology is presented to reproducibly and gently generate bioaerosol, suspend it in a controlled environment for a prolonged period of time before gently extracting it onto a substrate. Studies of the influence of variables such as relative humidity (RH), gas phase ozone/oxidant concentration, light intensity, aerosol composition and temperature on the longevity and infectivity of various aerosolized bacterial species are possible with this technique. We will report the first demonstration of the utility of this technique and will focus on how RH and aerosol composition affect the longevity of Escherichia coli.
(1) Zhen, H. J.et al, G. J Aerosol Sci 2014, 70, 67.
(2) Verreault, D.; et al. Inhal Toxicol 2014, 26, 554.