Abstract
Airborne particles play a significant role in the spread of bacterial communities. The prevalence of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic forms in the inhalable fractions of aerosols is known. The abundance of microorganisms in the aerosols heightens the likely health hazards due to inhalation since they serve as carriers for pathogens and allergens, often acting as a vector for pulmonary/respiratory infections. Not much information is available on the occurrence and prevalence of bacterial communities in different size-fractionated aerosols in Kuwait. A high-volume air sampler with a six-stage cascade impactor was deployed for sample collection at two sites representing a remote and an urban site. A total volume of 815 ± 5 m3 of air was passed through the filters to trap the particulate matter ranging from 0.39 to >10.2 μm in size (Stage 1 to Stage 5 and base filter). Aeromonas dominated all the stages at the urban site and Stage 5 at the remote site, whereas Sphingobium was prevalent at Stages, 2, 3 and 4 at the remote site. Brevundimonas were found at Stages 1 and 5, and the base filter at the remote site. These results show that the bacterial community is altered in different size fractions of aerosols. Stages 1–4 form the respirable fraction, whereas Stage 5 and particles on the base filter are the inhalable fractions. Many species of Aeromonas cause disease, and hence their presence in inhalable fractions is a health concern, meaning that species-level identification is warranted.
Highlights
Airborne particles play a significant role in the spread of bacterial communities
Aerosols are often loaded with biological materials such as fungal spores, bacteria, viruses, and plant and animal fragments [1,2]
Information was generated as a result of highthroughput sequencing of aerosols collected over the course of one year from two sites representing different environmental milieu, i.e., a site in Kuwait City was designated as an urban site, while another site at the Kuwait–Iraq border on Abdally farm is considered as a remote site
Summary
Aerosols are often loaded with biological materials such as fungal spores, bacteria, viruses, and plant and animal fragments [1,2]. The samples were analyzed for microbial types and relative abundances (RA) through 16 s metagenomic sequencing. Raw sequences were filtered and processed through the Quantitative Insights into Microbial. Ecology (QIIME) software, yielding 12,797 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Taxonomic profiling of these OTUs revealed 109 known bacterial genera to be distributed among the six size fractions. These data provide insights into the size-fractionated bio-aerosols from the arid region. They further add value to assessing the microbial population associated with particles of 2.5 μm and smaller, as they are transported through the respiratory tract into the bronchioles and alveoli of the lungs and pose a greater risk to human health
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