Changes in the Airborne Microbiome during High Density Public Gatherings: A Case Study of Mardi Gras in 2024
KAMIL KHANIPOV, Sarah Alnemrat, Vivian Tat, Kostiantyn Botnar, Sean Kinahan, Shanna A. Ratnesar-Shumate, Madison Farnsworth, Justin Nguyen, Matt Cochran, David Kimmel, Hema Narra, Christine Tomlinson, George Golovko, The University of Texas Medical Branch
Abstract Number: 693
Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract
Emerging and endemic infectious disease outbreaks continue to adversely affect our global health systems in spite of modern advances in medicine and healthcare. Therefore, characterization of bioaerosols is essential to mitigating and combating airborne disease outbreaks. This study focuses on the impact of high-density gatherings during Mardi Gras on the air microbiome in New Orleans, Louisiana. During the event, we collected high-volume air filters from several locations and time points, including key sites in New Orleans. Teflon (PTFE) air filters from environmental aerosol sample collectors were collected at over 100 liters per minute. DNA and RNA were isolated from the samples using the Zymo Biomics DNA/RNA miniprep kit. The RNA from the samples was converted to double-stranded cDNA using SuperScript IV VILO with ezDNase. DNA/RNA from the same samples were combined and prepared for sequencing on an Oxford Nanopore Technologies P2Solo instrument using the Ligation Sequencing Kit. PromethION R10.4.1 flow cells were utilized for sequencing. Sequencing data were basecalled using Dorado with the Super accurate model. The metagenome and metatranscriptome were analyzed using wf-metagenomics nextflow workflow.
Our results identified differences in the microbial composition of environments at various time points, establishing the background air microbiome. The data revealed significant shifts in microbial diversity and abundance during peak traffic periods of Mardi Gras, with a notable increase in human-associated bacterial taxa and environmental microbes. The resulting raw sequencing data, basecalls, sample metadata, and bioinformatic pipelines for environmental aerosol collectors are being compiled and shared to a public repository. Comprehensively defining the unique and evolving outdoor and indoor microbiome environments is vital to determining hazardous anomalies and disease outbreaks.