Isolation of Airborne Organisms

BIO315L Session 17

aeromicrobiology

the study of living microorganisms suspended in air

air

considered one of the least hospitable environments for microbes because it holds fewer nutrients and supports relatively fewer organisms (compared to water and soil)

bioaerosols

microbes suspended in the air

pathogenic bioaerosols

dependent upon prevailing physicochemical properties of the atmosphere, such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind, precipitation and air pressure, for transport and survival

troposphere

innermost later of Earth’s atmosphere; most favorable for growth and survival of microorganisms; contains more water vapor than other layers

introduction of microbes in the air

human activities like waste disposal, waste treatment, agriculture and industry; soil (one gram of soil holds millions of bacterial and fungal cells (can exist in spore form, making them survive better))

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

causative agent of tuberculosis (most economically impactful infectious disease in the world)

spores

fungi found in air are mostly this; generally able to survive harsh environmental conditions

how are spores able to survive harsh environmental conditions?

possession of thicker cell wall, protective molecules (sugars, amino acids, sugar alcohols, betaine), expression of heat shock vegetative forms

long distance dispersal (LDD)

of fungal spores; has marked impact on plants, corals, and other marine organisms