Distribution and Characteristics of Microorganisms Associated with Settled Particles During Asian Dust Events

Abstract

Asian dust storms originating in the arid desert of China and Mongolia usually occur from late winter through spring, and more than one million tons of dust per year is transported to the Korean Peninsula by the prevalent westerly winds. We supposed that these dust particles could include bioaerosols and act as carriers of microorganisms. In order to clarify the dynamics of microorganisms moving with these particles, the concentration and composition of microorganisms associated with settled particles were compared between samples collected during Asian dust events and those under non-dust periods. From February to April 2008, settled dust particles were collected at one location in Ulsan using rainfall meter of 200 mm diameter. During this period, there was one Asian dust event in Ulsan. The bacterial concentrations were higher in samples collected during Asian dust event than those under non-dust period, whereas fungal concentrations were rather similar regardless of the Asian dust event. We analyzed 16S rRNA gene sequences of 45 bacterial isolates obtained from the settled particle samples. These isolates belonged to either genus Bacillus or genus Streptococcus and were tentatively identified as B. 기존 국내에서의 황사에 대한 연구는 modeling을 통한 이동 경로 분석, 미세먼지의 농도, 화학적 조성 및 입자의 크기 분포, 호흡기 질환과의 관계에 관한 역학 조사 등에 관한 것이 다수를 차지하고 있다 (Lee et al., 2007;Park et al., 2008;Yoo et al., 2008). 국제적으로는 황사 먼지를 통한 미생물의 장거리 이동에 대한 여러 연구가 있다 (Ichinose et al., 2008;Iwasaka et al., 2009

Survey of Airborne Microorganisms in an Arcade-Type Traditional Market in Anseong, South Korea

“…Airborne microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi account for a high percentage of indoor air pollutants, along with fine dust [ 7 ]. Bacteria are self-reproducing biological pollutants that cause allergies and respiratory diseases and are usually found in food waste or dump yards.…”

Exposure Assessment of Dust and Airborne Microorganisms among Workers in a Clothing Shopping Center

“…국내에서는 여러 유형의 실내공간을 대상으로 공 기질을 평가한 연구 사례는 많이 보고된 있으나 (Lee & Kim, 1997;Lim & Kim, 2005;Kim, 2006;Jung, 2006;Jung et al, 2007;Kim et al, 2008; (Jung et al, 2011;Koh et al, 2012). 즉, 공기 중 분진의 농도가 증가할수록 일반적 으로 부유미생물의 농도 또한 증가하는 것이다 (Jung et al, 2011).…”