Abstract View
Study of Airborne Microbes in University Environment Using a Portable Electrostatic Bioaerosol Collection Device
KAVINDRA KUMARAGAMA, Hema Ravindran, Nueraili Kuerbanjiang, Shane Rogers, Shantanu Sur, Suresh Dhaniyala, Clarkson University Potsdam, NY, USA
Abstract Number: 500
Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract
We have developed a portable, low-power, and low-cost device for environmental bioaerosol monitoring. Our device called Trace Real-time Aerosol Concentration sensor and Biological sampler (TRAC- B), is capable of real-time air quality monitoring and capturing airborne particles for offline analysis. TRAC-B uses a low-cost sensor for real-time aerosol measurements and an electrostatic precipitator for the collection of bioaerosol for offline analysis. We have performed detailed characterization of the electrostatic precipitator-based bio-sampler section of the device, such as the impact of an ionizer on collection efficiency, effect of precipitation voltage on viability, and dependency of particle capture and recovery on the collection substrate used. We have deployed multiple TRAC-B units for a year-long study in various indoor and outdoor locations on Clarkson University campus. A culture and sequencing-based analysis of the collected samples was conducted to determine the diversity, abundance, and seasonal variation of the airborne microbial population in various indoor and outdoor environments. Our preliminary results (Sanger sequencing) show that bacterial species belonging to the genus Bacillus are the most abundant cultivable bacteria in the collected samples. Furthermore, our data suggests the highest microbial abundance in the spring and the summer seasons for both indoor and outdoor sampling locations.
Keywords: Bioaerosol, low-cost sensor, electrostatic precipitator