AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Effective Sampling of Infectious Viral Aerosols down to the Primary Virion Size
HOWARD WALLS, David S. Ensor, Lauren Harvey, Jean Kim, Ryan Chartier, Susanne Hering, Steven Spielman, Gregory Lewis, Research Triangle Institute
Abstract Number: 415 Working Group: Bioaerosols: Characterization and Environmental Impact
Abstract Airborne viruses represent a potentially significant health threat. The primary size of a viral particle can be very small, in the range of 20 nm to 300 nm. However, only recently have researchers begun to characterize the size and infectivity of viral bioaerosols in the submicron size range. We have developed a novel bioaerosol sampler using a laminar-flow water condensation method to efficiently sample viral aerosols to sizes well below 100 nm. The water condensation bioaerosol sampler provides a more gentle collection of the bioaerosols, maintaining their viability (infectivity) during the collection process. Using MS2 bacteriophage as a model system we performed size selected sampling from 300 nm down to 45 nm with both an all-glass impinger (4 mm; AGI-4) and the water condensation bioaerosol sampler. We demonstrated the existence of infectious viral particles below 100 nm and that the water condensation bioaerosol sampler collects viral aerosols more efficiently than an AGI-4 providing better preservation of infectivity. For example, for 45 nm diameter particles the water condensation bioaerosol sampler collected 10× more infective virions per liter of the same aerosol sampled and 20× more infective virions per collected particle compared to the AGI-4.
We also studied the amount of viral particle inactivation due to the aerosolization process using qRT-PCR. A large reduction in the percentage of infectious viral particles occurred upon aerosolization with a Collison nebulizer. With its ability to both collect aerosol particles down to the primary size of the smallest virus and maintain their infectivity, the water condensation bioaerosol sampler is a powerful laboratory tool that could elucidate the threat of submicron viral aerosols.
Acknowledgements
Department of Homeland Security contract HSHQDC-09-C-00154.
US Army, Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center contract W911SR-07-C-0075.