Assessment of Bioaerosol Generation and Sampling Efficiency Based onPantoea agglomerans

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of aerosol generation, relative humidity, and method of sampling on the culturability of the vegetative bacteria Pantoea agglomerans (P. agglomerans) formerly known as Erwinia herbicola. This research has relevance both for the use of this organism as a biowarfare simulant and for bioaerosol exposure assessment and public health. The culturability of P. agglomerans was tested using a test chamber against two generating systems (Collison and Bubble nebulizers), two sampling systems (the all-glass impinger (AGI-30), and the BioSampler), three collection media (water, TSB, and PBS) and across a range of humidities. Results indicated that the Bubble nebulizer was 15% more efficient in generating viable P. agglomerans counts (p ≤ 0.05). No difference was observed in overall efficiency between sampling methods (p > 0.05). However, as a collection media, PBS was observed to yield higher (p ≤ 0.01) viable counts compared to sterile deionized water. Relative humidity was found to strongly influence airborne P. agglomerans culturability. Culturable P. agglomerans was below the limit of detection for RH<15% and then increased in a log-linear fashion to humidities of 75%. This research will help identify optimal means for evaluation of environmentally sensitive airborne bacteria for purposes of exposure assessment and public health as well as homeland security.

Evaluation of bioaerosol sampling techniques for Legionella pneumophila coupled with culture assay and quantitative PCR

“…This finding agrees with previous studies sampling for culturable P. fluorescens (Lin et al, 2000) and P. agglomerans (Rule, Kesavan, Schwab, & Buckley, 2009); both are gram-negative bacteria and sensitive to stresses (Lin et al, 2000;Rule et al, 2009). However, the recovery of stress-resistant B. subtilis spores was statistically significantly higher in BioSampler than in AGI-30 (Lin et al, 2000).…”

Aerobiological Stabilities of Different Species of Gram-Negative Bacteria, Including Well-Known Biothreat Simulants, in Single-Cell Particles and Cell Clusters of Different Compositions

“…Although the aerobiological stability characteristics of several species of Gramnegative bacteria already have been investigated, including S. marcescens (7,8,17,18), E. coli (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), and P. agglomerans (6,12,(26)(27)(28)(29)(30), most of these studies were performed more than 3 decades ago; thus, several knowledge gaps still remain. An inherent challenge regarding the aerobiological stability of Gram-negative bacteria is the observation that few generalizations seem to be applicable, suggesting that different genera, species, and even strains of Gram-negative bacteria have to be considered separate entities regarding their stability characteristics (11,15,16).…”

Germicidal UV Sensitivity of Bacteria in Aerosols and on Contaminated Surfaces

“…The second was Yersinia ruckeri, a nonvirulent species closely related to Y. pestis, the causative agent of plague. Lastly, Pantoea agglomerans, previously known as Erwinia herbicola, was included because it has been a simulant of choice in biodefense studies (Rule et al 2009). …”