Microbiological characterization of stable resuspended dust

Abstract

Objectives: Air quality in the stables is characterized by elevated level of dust and aeroallergens which are supposed to directly cause or exacerbate several respiratory disorders. The most often recognized problem is recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), previously known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is some indication that aeroallergens (among them endotoxins) may also cause inflammation in human airways and may exceed safe levels in stables. Monitoring studies have covered mainly the determination of the concentration of respirable particles and of culturable fungi and their toxins. However, these particles do not only directly affect the respiratory system, but might act as a carrier conveying toxic contaminants and biological agents such as bacteria. In a typical, 20-horse Hungarian stable, microbial community of respirable fraction of resuspended dust has been characterized to reveal if these particles convey hazardous pathogenic bacteria, posing risk to either horses or staff. Material and Methods: Resuspended dust was sampled using a mobile instrument. The instrument contains a PARTISOL-FRM model 2000 sampler that was operated at a flow rate of 16.7 l/min and a cyclone separator which collected the particulate matter with an aerodynamic size between 1 μm and 10 μm (PM 1-10 ) fraction. Microbial taxa were identified by culture-independent next generation sequencing (NGS) of variable 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene regions. Results: In total, 1491 different taxa were identified, of them 384 were identified to species level, 961 to genus level. The sample was dominated by common ubiquitous soil and organic material-dwelling taxa. Conclusions: Pathogens occurred at low abundance, and were represented by mostly facultative human pathogens, with the prevalence of Staphylococcus species.

LPS aggravates lung inflammation induced by RSV by promoting the ERK-MMP-12 signaling pathway in mice

“…JNK kinase has been reported to be associated with T cell activation and maturation, whereas p38 plays an important role in inducing expression of pro-inflammatory mediators IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8, IL-6, and IL-3, especially in the macrophages [15]. MMP-12 was induced in the LPS-treated bronchial epithelial cells, which was decreased by ERK inhibition [14]. Moreover, cigarette smoke could activate ERK pathway that mediated the DC-induced Th2 polarization [16].…”

“…It regulates the turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM) and is widely involved in the pathogenesis of chronic airway diseases including asthma and COPD, and also delays viral clearance by affecting IFN-α [12]. In vitro studies stated that LPS could induce MMP-12 in mouse liver macrophages [13] and human bronchial epithelial cells [14]. However, whether LPS exposure can affect RSV-associated MMP-12 overproduction is also not clear.…”

Exposure to chemical pollutants and biological aerosol in indoor facilities for recreational and sport horses

“…The most common disease resulting from poor air quality is chronic aseptic inflammation called “equine asthma” [ 6 , 10 , 11 ]. Due to similar clinical symptoms to other diseases, it is necessary to diagnose respiratory system disorders that not only affect the health of horses but also their performance in various equestrian disciplines [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Assessment of Bacterial Contamination of Air at the Museum of King John III’s Palace at Wilanow (Warsaw, Poland): Selection of an Optimal Growth Medium for Analyzing Airborne Bacteria Diversity

“…Furthermore, these high-throughput screening methods allow for the detection of minorities among microbial species. Despite their strengths, NGS-based methods bear some flaws, such as their relatively high cost, the need for expertise in bioinformatic data analysis, and a lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for air quality assessments [6,7]. Currently, the most widely adopted NGS-based technique is metabarcoding, which uses the sequencing of PCR-amplified marker genes (e.g., 16S rRNA for bacteria and ITS1 or ITS2 for fungi) for the assessment of microbial biodiversity [8].…”