Abstract View
Study of Airborne Microbial Diversity in a University Campus Using a Portable Electrostatic Bioaerosol Sampler
KAVINDRA KUMARAGAMA, Shane Rogers, Shantanu Sur, Suresh Dhaniyala, Clarkson University
Abstract Number: 512
Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract
Environmental bioaerosol monitoring using portable devices has recently gained interest to assess the risk for airborne transmission of diseases such as COVID-19. To address such a need, a portable, low-power, and low-cost device was recently developed in collaboration with TelosAir, a local startup. Our device, called Trace Aerosol sensor and Collector for Bio-particles (TracB), is capable of real-time air quality monitoring and capturing airborne particles for offline analysis. The device utilizes the principle of electrostatic precipitation to efficiently capture bioaerosol on a collection plate. The collection efficiency of the device is tested using bacteria, fungi, and virus model organisms. Here we present a detailed characterization of the biosampler component of the device, including the impact of an ionizer, precipitation voltage, and collection plate substrate on collection efficiency and viability of captured microorganisms. We have deployed multiple TracB units for one year in various indoor and outdoor locations of Clarkson University campus. Culture-based and sequencing-based analysis of the collected samples were conducted to determine the diversity, abundance, and seasonal variation of airborne microbial populations in these locations. Our preliminary results show that Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria are the most abundant bacterial phyla, and Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are the most abundant fungal phyla among all four seasons. Furthermore, our data suggests the high microbial abundance in spring and summer for indoor and outdoor sampling locations, respectively.
Keywords: Bioaerosol, low-cost sensor, electrostatic precipitator