Aerosol transmission of human pathogens: From miasmata to modern viral pandemics and their preservation potential in the Anthropocene record

Moreno, Teresa; Gibbons, Wes

doi:10.1016/j.gsf.2021.101282

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 178 publications

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“…Distant airborne aerosol dispersal and transmission are mitigated at high relative humidity in classroom settings. [18,19] Multiple studies report on the airborne pathogen survival and transmission [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. On inanimate surfaces, studies [29][30][31][32] have explored the survivability of microbes under various environmental conditions, employing culture media such as Luria broth and DMEM for microbial suspension.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weather-related changes in the dehydration of respiratory droplets on surfaces bolster bacterial endurance

Rasheed,

Parmar,

Jain

et al. 2024

Preprint

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HypothesisThe study shows for the first time a fivefold difference in the survivability of the bacteriumPseudomonas Aeruginosa(PA) in a realistic respiratory fluid droplet on fomites undergoing drying at different environmental conditions. For instance, in 2023, the annual average relative humidity (RH) in London (UK) is 71%, whereas in Delhi (India), it is 45%, showing that disease spread from fomites could have a demographic dependence. Respiratory fluid droplet ejections containing pathogens on inanimate surfaces are crucial in disease spread, especially in nosocomial settings. However, the interplay between evaporation dynamics, internal fluid flow and precipitation and their collective influence on the distribution and survivability of pathogens at different environmental conditions are less known.ExperimentsShadowgraphy imaging is employed to study evaporation, and optical microscopy imaging is used for precipitation dynamics. Micro-particle image velocimetry (MicroPIV) measurements reveal the internal flow dynamics. Confocal imaging of fluorescently labelled PA elucidates the bacterial distribution within the deposits.FindingsThe study finds that the evaporation rate is drastically impeded during drying at elevated solutal concentrations, particularly at high RH conditions. MicroPIV shows reduced internal flow under high RH conditions. Evaporation rate influences crystal growth, with delayed efflorescence and extending crystallisation times. PA forms denser peripheral arrangements under high evaporation rates and shows a fivefold increase in survivability under low evaporation rates. These findings highlight the critical impact of environmental conditions on pathogen persistence and disease spread from inanimate surfaces.Graphical abstract

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weather-related changes in the dehydration of respiratory droplets on surfaces bolster bacterial endurance

Rasheed,

Parmar,

Jain

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…(p. 22). According to her analysis, microbial genetic structures and sequences are beginning to read like an archive of the sequential anthropogenic stressors to which they have been subject over the past century, forming a physical registration of human activities within the microbial world (see also Landecker, 2019; Moreno and Gibbons, 2022: 9–10). This article engages with Landecker’s insights to review some of the characteristic molecular-genetic, macroscale-infrastructural, and community-ecological aspects of microbial evolution at a time when human actions are a critical force in shaping their directions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and absence: Human-microbial co-evolution in the Anthropocene

Bradshaw¹

2023

The Anthropocene Review

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Human-microbe relations have undergone a profound shift over the past 100 years. The discovery of antibiotics, increasing levels of pollution, and urban and agricultural intensification have led to the proliferation and diversification of novel resistance genes and microorganisms. This abundance has unfolded against a backdrop of microbial absence that is the other side of the antimicrobial coin; reductions in the quantity and diversity of human-microbe interactions are now registering as epidemics of chronic non-communicable diseases in urban populations. Building from this paradoxical situation of ‘abundance’ and ‘absence’, this article reviews the molecular-genetic, macroscale-infrastructural, and community-ecological aspects of microbial evolution at a time when human actions are a critical force in shaping their directions.

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“…Airborne nanoparticles are of great importance due to their impact on a range of issues, from air pollution to disease transmission [1]. They can cause different adverse effects compared to larger particles due to their high specific surface area and high concentration [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Airborne Nanoparticles through Enhanced Light Scattering Images

Chen

et al. 2022

Sensors

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A new method is proposed in this paper to detect airborne nanoparticles, detecting the light scattering caused by both the particle and the surrounding molecules, which can surpass the limitations of conventional laser optical methods while maintaining simplicity and cost-effectiveness. This method is derived from a mathematical analysis that describes the particle light scattering phenomenon more exactly by including the influence of light scattered from surrounding gas molecules. The analysis shows that it is often too much of a simplification to consider only light scattering from the detected nanoparticle, because light scattering from the surrounding gas molecules, whether visible or invisible to the sensor, is important for nanoparticle detection. An image detection approach utilizing the light scattering from surrounding air molecules is described for the detection of airborne nanoparticles. Tests using monodisperse nanoparticles confirm that airborne particles of around 50 nm in size can even be detected using a low-cost testing device. This shows further that even when using a simple image processing code, captured particle light scattering images can be converted digitally into instantaneous particle counts or concentrations. The factors limiting conventional pulse detection are further discussed. This new method utilizes a simple static light scattering (SLS) approach to enable the development of new devices with better detection capabilities, paving the way for the further development of nanoparticle detection technology.

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Aerosol transmission of human pathogens: From miasmata to modern viral pandemics and their preservation potential in the Anthropocene record

Abstract: Graphical abstract

Cited by 10 publications

References 178 publications

Weather-related changes in the dehydration of respiratory droplets on surfaces bolster bacterial endurance

Weather-related changes in the dehydration of respiratory droplets on surfaces bolster bacterial endurance

Abundance and absence: Human-microbial co-evolution in the Anthropocene

Detection of Airborne Nanoparticles through Enhanced Light Scattering Images

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