10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
Aerosolization of Palytoxin in Nose-only Aerosol System
AYSEGUL NALCA, Ondraya Frick, Virginia Livingston, David Dyer, Larry Bowen, Mark Poli, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
Abstract Number: 1524 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract Palytoxins (PLTXs) are a family of extremely potent marine toxins, considered to be among the most toxic non-proteinaceous substances known. PLTXs are found in zoanthids and dinoflagellates distributed throughout tropical and sub-tropical habitats, as well as in temperate waters of the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. They have been isolated from seafood (fish, crabs, invertebrates) linked to human illnesses and death, and marine aerosols linked to numerous cases of flu-like symptoms, ocular irritation, and respiratory distress. Furthermore, PLTXs have been found in high concentrations in marine zoanthids (Palythoa sp.) commonly distributed in the home and commercial aquarium trade and they have been associated with severe respiratory reactions and corneal damage due to inadvertent contact and the presumed production of aerosols during tank maintenance and cleaning. These incidents, and many others like them, suggest that PLTXs are a family of toxins that pose a significant risk to humans through aerosol exposure. The occurrence of large annual Ostreopsis ovata blooms in the Mediterranean/Adriatic region, as well as the potential for toxins to be harvested in large quantities from easily obtained and cultured Palythoa soft corals, all argue that PLTXs represent a realistic and significant potential biotoxin threat. Therefore, we decided to characterize the aerosolized PLTX in vitro. PLTX congener 42-OH-PLTX (from Hawaiian P. toxica) and purified PLTX/42-OH PLTX from Hawaiian P. tuberculosa (50:50 mixture, USAMRIID) were used for sham aerosols to determine the stability of these toxins in a nose-only system. The particle size distribution (PSD) of the aerosolized test article was determined using an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) spectrophotometer fitted with an Aerosol Diluter. The mean Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameter (MMAD) and the mean Geometric Standard Deviation (GSD) for sham exposures for purified PLTX/42-OH PLTX from Hawaiian P. tuberculosa (50:50 mixture, USAMRIID) and purified 42-OH PLTX from P. toxica were 1.66 µm, 1.73 and 1.08 µm, 2.13, respectively and these aerosolized toxin congeners had very similar spray factors.