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Zhu W, Xu Y, Chen T, Shi M. Distribution characteristics of aerosol microorganisms in bronchoscopy room and the risk assessment of nosocomial infection. Front Public Health 2025; 13:1556364. [PMID: 40356821 PMCID: PMC12066432 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1556364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2025] [Accepted: 04/15/2025] [Indexed: 05/15/2025] Open
Abstract
Objective A large number of aerosols containing pathogenic microorganisms can be produced during bronchoscopy. The aim of the study is to evaluate the risk of nosocomial infection by pathogenic microorganisms after bronchoscopy. The distribution characteristics of aerosol microorganisms were detected before and after bronchoscopy, and then compared with the distribution characteristics of the patients' respiratory pathogens. Methods A total of 152 patients underwent bronchoscopy in the bronchoscopy room from May 06, 2024 to June 30, 2024. Airborne microorganisms were collected in the bronchoscopy room before and after the bronchoscopy, then cultured, counted and identified, to analyze the species, numbers and changes of microorganisms. At the same time, the data of respiratory pathogens and nosocomial infection of all patients were collected to evaluate the correlation between air microorganisms and respiratory pathogens, and the risk of nosocomial infection. Results (1) The concentration of air microorganisms after bronchoscopy was 89.60 ± 63.52 CFU/m3, significantly higher than 43.80 ± 26.70 CFU/m3 before bronchoscopy (p < 0.001). The increase in air microorganism concentration was in accordance with the total number of patients and the number of patients with respiratory infectious diseases on the same day (p < 0.001). After bronchoscopy for patients with infectious diseases, the concentration was significantly higher than that for patients with non-infectious diseases (p < 0.05). (2) The bacteria accounted for 75.34, 70.35% of the total aerosol microorganisms, fungi 22.17, 26.80% before and after bronchoscopy. The bacteria mainly included Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria faunalis, Staphylococcus capitis, etc. The fungi mainly included Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Saccharomyces albicans, Penicillium spp., etc. (3) The increase in air microorganisms after bronchoscopy was consistent with the distribution of pathogens causing respiratory infections in patients (p < 0.001). The increased pathogens were mainly composed of common respiratory pathogens, but it did not increase the risk of nosocomial respiratory infections in patients (p = 0.735). Conclusion Bronchoscopy can increase the concentration of aerosol microorganisms. The increased microorganisms are related to the respiratory pathogens of patients, which are mainly the common pathogens of pulmonary infection. This, however, does not increase the risk of nosocomial respiratory infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Minhua Shi
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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2
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Rocha-Melogno L, Xi J, Deshusses MA. Experimental evaluation of a full-scale in-duct UV germicidal irradiation system for bioaerosols inactivation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 947:174432. [PMID: 38960181 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Bioaerosols control techniques, especially ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) are gaining attention due to increasing needs for controlling of health risk caused by airborne biocontaminants. The effectiveness of a full-scale in-duct UVGI air disinfection system was investigated. One bacterium, a wild type Escherichia coli, and three fungal spores, Penicillium aragonense, Rhodotorula glutinis, and Cladosporium sp., were selected as test organisms and their inactivation under different conditions representative of a real application in HVAC systems were investigated. The results demonstrated that inactivation of airborne E. coli by the UVGI system was extremely effective, with >99.5 % of the input E. coli inactivated at a residence time lower than 0.36 s in the disinfection section. Airborne fungal spores were less susceptible to UV irradiation than E. coli. Under same conditions, viable counts reduction of P. aragonense, R. glutinis, and Cladosporium sp. spores were 53 %, 63 % and 73 %, respectively. The effect of UV light intensity, air flowrate and relative humidity were analyzed separately. A simplified model based on redefinition of the parameters in the classical inactivation kinetic equation was used to simulate the inactivation of airborne contaminants in the in-duct system under different conditions. The results showed that the simplified model was adequate to estimate disinfection efficacy of different bioaerosols by the UVGI system which could be useful for system design. Overall, this study shows that such in-duct UVGI systems can provide significant control of bioaerosols.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jinying Xi
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Marc A Deshusses
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Box 90287, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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3
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Reeves A, Shaikh WA, Chakraborty S, Chaudhuri P, Biswas JK, Maity JP. Potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through microplastics in sewage: A wastewater-based epidemiological review. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 334:122171. [PMID: 37437759 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, there is an urgent need to identify and investigate the various pathways of transmission. In addition to contact and aerosol transmission of the virus, this review investigated the possibility of its transmission via microplastics found in sewage. Wastewater-based epidemiological studies on the virus have confirmed its presence and persistence in both influent sewage as well as treated ones. The hypothesis behind the study is that the huge amount of microplastics, especially Polyvinyl Chloride and Polyethylene particles released into the open waters from sewage can become a good substrate and vector for microbes, especially Polyvinyl Chloride and Polyethylene particles, imparting stability to microbes and aiding the "plastisphere" formation. A bibliometric analysis highlights the negligence of research toward plastispheres and their presence in sewage. The ubiquity of microplastics and their release along with the virus into the open waters increases the risk of viral plastispheres. These plastispheres may be ingested by aquatic organisms facilitating reverse zoonosis and the commercial organisms already reported with accumulating microplastics through the food chain poses a risk to human populations as well. Reliance of high population density areas on open waters served by untreated sewage in economically less developed countries might bring back viral transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arijit Reeves
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700019, India
| | - Wasim Akram Shaikh
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Science and Technology, The Neotia University, Sarisha, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, 743368, India
| | - Sukalyan Chakraborty
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Jharkhand, 835215, India.
| | - Punarbasu Chaudhuri
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700019, India
| | - Jayanta Kumar Biswas
- Enviromicrobiology, Ecotoxicology and Ecotechnology Research Laboratory (3E-MicroToxTech Lab), Department of Ecological Studies, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, 741235, West Bengal, India; International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741235, West Bengal, India
| | - Jyoti Prakash Maity
- Environmental Science Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751024, India.
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Oh J, Choi J, Massoudifarid M, Park JY, Hwang J, Lim J, Byeon JH. Size-classified monitoring of ATP bioluminescence for rapid assessment of biological distribution in airborne particulates. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 234:115356. [PMID: 37172362 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic ignited massive research into the rapid detection of bioaerosols. In particular, nanotechnology-based detection strategies are proposed as alternatives because of issues in bioaerosol enrichment and lead time for molecular diagnostics; however, the practical implementation of such techniques is still unclear due to obstacles regarding the large research and development effort and investment for the validation. The use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence (expressed as relative luminescence unit (RLU) per unit volume of air) of airborne particulate matter (PM) to determine the bacterial population as a representative of the total bioaerosols (viruses, bacteria, and fungi) has been raised frequently because of the high reponse speed, resolution, and compatibility with culture-based bioaerosol monitoring. On the other hand, additional engineering attempts are required to confer significance because of the size-classified (bioluminescence for different PM sizes) and specific (bioluminescence per unit PM mass) biological risks of air for providing proper interventions in the case of airborne transmission. In this study, disc-type impactors to cut-off aerosols larger than 1 μm, 2.5 μm, and 10 μm were designed and constructed to collect PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 on sampling swabs. This engineering enabled reliable size-classified bioluminescence signals using a commercial ATP luminometer after just 5 min of air intake. The simultaneous operations of a six-stage Andersen impactor and optical PM spectrometers were conducted to determine the correlations between the resulting RLU and colony forming unit (CFU; from the Andersen impactor) or PM mass concentration (deriving specific bioluminescence).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaeho Oh
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Jisoo Choi
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Milad Massoudifarid
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Ja Young Park
- Gyeongsangbuk-Do Institute of Health and Environment, Yeongcheon, 38874, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungho Hwang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jiseok Lim
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jeong Hoon Byeon
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, Republic of Korea.
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Rocha-Melogno L, Crank KC, Ginn O, Bergin MH, Brown J, Gray GC, Hamilton KA, Bibby K, Deshusses MA. Quantitative microbial risk assessment of outdoor aerosolized pathogens in cities with poor sanitation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154233. [PMID: 35245543 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The aeromicrobiological transmission pathway of enteric pathogens in places with unsafe sanitation services is poorly understood. In an attempt to partly fill this knowledge gap, we assessed the potential public health impact of bioaerosols near open waste canals (OWCs) using Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA). We used data acquired in La Paz, Bolivia to characterize the risk of disease that aerosolized enteric pathogens may pose through food, fomites and inhalation (all followed by ingestion). Three reference pathogens were selected to conduct the assessment: enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Shigella flexneri, and Campylobacter jejuni. Inhalation followed by ingestion had the highest median infection risk per event i.e. 3 × 10-5 (3 infections for every 100,000 exposures), compared to contaminated food e.g. 5 × 10-6 and fomites e.g. 2 × 10-7, all for C. jejuni infections. Our sensitivity analysis showed that bacterial fluxes from the air were the most influential factor on risk. Our results suggest that fecal bacterial aerosols from OWCs present non-negligible risks of infection in La Paz, with median annual infection risks by C. jejuni being 18 (food), and 100 (inhalation) times greater than the EPA's standard for drinking water (1 × 10-4). We included two of the QMRA models presented here in a novel web application we developed for user-specified application in different contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Rocha-Melogno
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, United States; ICF, 2635 Meridian Parkway Suite 200, Durham, NC 27713, United States
| | - Katherine C Crank
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
| | - Olivia Ginn
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States
| | - Michael H Bergin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Joe Brown
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Gregory C Gray
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, United States; Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States; Global Health Research Center, Duke-Kunshan University, Kunshan, China; Emerging Infectious Diseases Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Kerry A Hamilton
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, 770 S College Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States; The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
| | - Marc A Deshusses
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
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Manibusan S, Mainelis G. Passive Bioaerosol Samplers: A Complementary Tool for Bioaerosol Research. A Review. JOURNAL OF AEROSOL SCIENCE 2022; 163:105992. [PMID: 36386279 PMCID: PMC9648171 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaerosci.2022.105992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Bioaerosols consist of airborne particles of biological origin. They play an important role in our environment and may cause negative health effects. The presence of biological aerosol is typically determined using active samplers. While passive bioaerosol samplers are used much less frequently in bioaerosol investigations, they offer certain advantages, such as simple design, low cost, and long sampling duration. This review discusses different types of passive bioaerosol samplers, including their collection mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages, applicability in different sampling environments, and available sample elution and analysis methods. Most passive samplers are based on gravitational settling and electrostatic capture mechanism or their combination. We discuss the agar settle plate, dustfall collector, Personal Aeroallergen Sampler (PAAS), and settling filters among the gravity-based samplers. The described electrostatics-based samplers include electrostatic dust cloths (EDC) and Rutgers Electrostatic Passive Sampler (REPS). In addition, the review also discusses passive opportunity samplers using preexisting airflow, such as filters in HVAC systems. Overall, passive bioaerosol sampling technologies are inexpensive, easy to operate, and can continuously sample for days and even weeks which is not easily accomplished by active sampling devices. Although passive sampling devices are usually treated as qualitative tools, they still provide information about bioaerosol presence and diversity, especially over longer time scales. Overall, this review suggests that the use of passive bioaerosol samplers alongside active collection devices can aid researchers in developing a more comprehensive understanding of biological presence and dynamics, especially over extended time scales and multiple locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydonia Manibusan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-8551, USA
| | - Gediminas Mainelis
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-8551, USA
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7
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Ginn O, Rocha-Melogno L, Bivins A, Lowry S, Cardelino M, Nichols D, Tripathi SN, Soria F, Andrade M, Bergin M, Deshusses MA, Brown J. Detection and Quantification of Enteric Pathogens in Aerosols Near Open Wastewater Canals in Cities with Poor Sanitation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:14758-14771. [PMID: 34669386 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c05060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Urban sanitation infrastructure is inadequate in many low-income countries, leading to the presence of highly concentrated, uncontained fecal waste streams in densely populated areas. Combined with mechanisms of aerosolization, airborne transport of enteric microbes and their genetic material is possible in such settings but remains poorly characterized. We detected and quantified enteric pathogen-associated gene targets in aerosol samples near open wastewater canals (OWCs) or impacted (receiving sewage or wastewater) surface waters and control sites in La Paz, Bolivia; Kanpur, India; and Atlanta, USA, via multiplex reverse-transcription qPCR (37 targets) and ddPCR (13 targets). We detected a wide range of enteric targets, some not previously reported in extramural urban aerosols, with more frequent detections of all enteric targets at higher densities in La Paz and Kanpur near OWCs. We report density estimates ranging up to 4.7 × 102 gc per mair3 across all targets including heat-stable enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, enteroinvasive E. coli/Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., norovirus, and Cryptosporidium spp. Estimated 25, 76, and 0% of samples containing positive pathogen detects were accompanied by culturable E. coli in La Paz, Kanpur, and Atlanta, respectively, suggesting potential for viability of enteric microbes at the point of sampling. Airborne transmission of enteric pathogens merits further investigation in cities with poor sanitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Ginn
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46656, United States
| | - Lucas Rocha-Melogno
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- ICF, 2635 Meridian Parkway Suite 200, Durham, North Carolina 27713, United States
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46656, United States
| | - Sarah Lowry
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Maria Cardelino
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Dennis Nichols
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Sachchida Nand Tripathi
- Department of Civil Engineering & Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology - Kalyanpur, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Freddy Soria
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz 4807, Bolivia
| | - Marcos Andrade
- Laboratory for Atmospheric Physics, Institute for Physics Research, Universidad Mayor de San Andres, La Paz 1995, Bolivia
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Mike Bergin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Marc A Deshusses
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Joe Brown
- Deparment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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Cao Y, Shao L, Jones T, Oliveira MLS, Ge S, Feng X, Silva LFO, BéruBé K. Multiple relationships between aerosol and COVID-19: A framework for global studies. GONDWANA RESEARCH : INTERNATIONAL GEOSCIENCE JOURNAL 2021; 93:243-251. [PMID: 33584115 PMCID: PMC7871891 DOI: 10.1016/j.gr.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) is a severe respiratory syndrome currently causing a human global pandemic. The original virus, along with newer variants, is highly transmissible. Aerosols are a multiphase system consisting of the atmosphere with suspended solid and liquid particles, which can carry toxic and harmful substances; especially the liquid components. The degree to which aerosols can carry the virus and cause COVID-19 disease is of significant research importance. In this study, we have discussed aerosol transmission as the pathway of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), and the aerosol pollution reduction as a consequence of the COVID-19 lockdown. The aerosol transmission routes of the SARS-CoV-2 can be further subdivided into proximal human-exhaled aerosol transmission and potentially more distal ambient aerosol transmission. The human-exhaled aerosol transmission is a direct dispersion of the SARS-CoV-2. The ambient aerosol transmission is an indirect dispersion of the SARS-CoV-2 in which the aerosol acts as a carrier to spread the virus. This indirect dispersion can also stimulate the up-regulation of the expression of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE-2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2) and protease TMPRSS2 (Transmembrane Serine Protease 2), thereby increasing the incidence and mortality of COVID-19. From the aerosol quality data around the World, it can be seen that often atmospheric pollution has significantly decreased due to factors such as the reduction of traffic, industry, cooking and coal-burning emissions during the COVID-19 lockdown. The airborne transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2, the infectivity of the virus in ambient aerosols, and the reduction of aerosol pollution levels due to the lockdowns are crucial research subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxin Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining and College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
| | - Longyi Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining and College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
| | - Tim Jones
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10, 3YE, Wales, UK
| | - Marcos L S Oliveira
- Department of Civil and Environmental, Universidad de la Costa, Calle 58 #55-66, 080002 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
- Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Arquitectura, Universidad de Lima, Avenida Javier Prado Este 4600 - Santiago de Surco 1503, Peru
| | - Shuoyi Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining and College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xiaolei Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining and College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
| | - Luis F O Silva
- Department of Civil and Environmental, Universidad de la Costa, Calle 58 #55-66, 080002 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
| | - Kelly BéruBé
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, Wales, UK
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Medina C, Ginn O, Brown J, Soria F, Garvizu C, Salazar Á, Tancara A, Herrera J. Detection and assessment of the antibiotic resistance of Enterobacteriaceae recovered from bioaerosols in the Choqueyapu River area, La Paz - Bolivia. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 760:143340. [PMID: 33183829 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
As a highly contaminated waterway flowing through a densely populated urban area, microbiological pollution associated with the Choqueyapu River and the absence of a wastewater treatment plant in La Paz city threatens public health. We collected air samples adjacent to this river using impingement. Laboratory analyses identified the presence of Enterobacteriaceae, reporting a maximum concentration of 86,11 CFU/m3 of sampled air. Positive samples were tested for antibiotic susceptibility against the antibiotics amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, meropenem, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and tetracycline via disk diffusion. The highest percentages of antibiotic resistance were registered for tetracycline (50% of isolates) and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (38,9%), while the lowest resistance profile was reported for meropenem (5,6%). A comparison of results obtained on the pilot studies [elaborated during the wet season of 2018 by Chavez, 2019 and Salazar et al., 2020] and the present study has been done, highlighting seasonal effects over airborne Enterobacteriaceae concentration. Also, it was determined an increase of antibiotic resistance for tetracycline, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin; and a reduction for sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, meropenem and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Medina
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz, Bolivia.
| | - Olivia Ginn
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, United States
| | - Joe Brown
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Freddy Soria
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Carolina Garvizu
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Ángela Salazar
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Alejandra Tancara
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Jhoana Herrera
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz, Bolivia
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10
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Ginn O, Nichols D, Rocha-Melogno L, Bivins A, Berendes D, Soria F, Andrade M, Deshusses MA, Bergin M, Brown J. Antimicrobial resistance genes are enriched in aerosols near impacted urban surface waters in La Paz, Bolivia. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 194:110730. [PMID: 33444611 PMCID: PMC10906805 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance poses a major global health threat. Understanding emergence and dissemination of antibiotic resistance in environmental media is critical to the design of control strategies. Because antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) may be aerosolized from contaminated point sources and disseminated more widely in localized environments, we assessed ARGs in aerosols in urban La Paz, Bolivia, where wastewater flows in engineered surface water channels through the densely populated urban core. We quantified key ARGs and a mobile integron (MI) via ddPCR and E. coli spp. as a fecal indicator by culture over two years during both the rainy and dry seasons in sites near wastewater flows. ARG targets represented major antibiotic groups-tetracyclines (tetA), fluoroquinolines (qnrB), and beta-lactams (blaTEM)-and an MI (intI1) represented the potential for mobility of genetic material. Most air samples (82%) had detectable targets above the experimentally determined LOD: most commonly blaTEM and intI1 (68% and 47% respectively) followed by tetA and qnrB (17% and 11% respectively). ARG and MI densities in positive air samples ranged from 1.3 × 101 to 6.6 × 104 gene copies/m3 air. Additionally, we detected culturable E. coli in the air (52% of samples <1 km from impacted surface waters) with an average density of 11 CFU/m3 in positive samples. We observed decreasing density of blaTEM with increasing distance up to 150 m from impacted surface waters. To our knowledge this is the first study conducting absolute quantification and a spatial analysis of ARGs and MIs in ambient urban air of a city with contaminated surface waters. Environments in close proximity to urban wastewater flows in this setting may experience locally elevated concentrations of ARGs, a possible concern for the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in cities with poor sanitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Ginn
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, United States.
| | - Dennis Nichols
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
| | - Lucas Rocha-Melogno
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, And Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, United States.
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46656, United States.
| | - David Berendes
- Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
| | - Freddy Soria
- Centro de Investigación en Agua, Energía y Sostenibilidad, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", La Paz, Bolivia.
| | - Marcos Andrade
- Laboratory for Atmospheric Physics, Institute for Physics Research, Universidad Mayor de San Andres, La Paz, Bolivia; Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Marc A Deshusses
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, And Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, United States.
| | - Mike Bergin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, And Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, United States.
| | - Joe Brown
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, United States; Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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