In Situ Characterization of Bioaerosols at the Single-Particle Level Using Single-Particle Mass Spectrometry: A Promising Tool for Defending Human Health against Bioaerosol Transmission.

Abstract

Bioaerosol transmission is one of the important transmission pathways of COVID-19 and other infectious respiratory diseases caused by viral infection. The ability to detect bioaerosols and characterize encapsulated pathogens both in situ and in real time is crucial for early warning and monitoring of the progress of an epidemic or pandemic. The lack of a powerful analytical tool for distinguishing between bioaerosols and nonbioaerosols as well as for identification of pathogen species contained in the bioaerosols is the bottleneck in related fields. Herein, a promising solution for in situ and real-time accurate and sensitive detection of bioaeorosols is proposed by integrating single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The proposed mass spectrometry aims at detecting bioaerosols in a range of 0.5-10 μm with adequate sensitivity and specificity. This single-particle bioaerosol mass spectrometry would not only be a powerful tool that can be useful for the authorities and public health monitoring but also would be an example of advances in mass spectrometry.