Aerobiologia最新文献

Bioaerosols are highly relevant in medical centers (MCs), where factors such as seasonality, human occupancy (HO), and ventilation systems (VS) are proposed to influence the airborne bacterial communities and potential airborne human pathogenic bacteria (PAHPB). We investigated the compositions and spatiotemporal variations in the airborne bacterial communities, including those of PAHPB and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG), in two MCs in Chile during 2021 and 2022. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and qPCR revealed significant (p < 0.05) variations in diversity, composition, and gene abundance across the studied years. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were dominant in bioaerosols, with gene abundances ranging from 10³ to 10⁷ copies m³ and were negatively correlated with diversity. The PAHPB and ARG genes were variable, with Kleb2 (Klebsiella pneumoniae) and blaTEM (β-lactam) being the most prevalent. Although HO and VS influenced the bacterial communities, no significant correlations (p < 0.05) with bacterial diversity were found. Interestingly, 6 genera in the core microbiome were associated with humans, whereas 19 genera were associated with the environment, suggesting that outdoor air is a relevant factor influencing bacterial communities in MCs. We provide baseline data for research on bioaerosols in MCs, highlighting the complexity of airborne bacterial communities and suggesting some factors influencing their spatiotemporal variations.

Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (common ragweed) is an invasive species in Europe that produces highly allergenic pollen with substantial health impacts. Recently, populations showing aberrant floral morphotypes, characterised by bracteate racemes and strongly reduced or absent staminate heads, have been observed, particularly at field margins. The causes of these abnormalities remain unclear, although the involvement of pathogens has been suggested. We hypothesised that aberrant populations differ from typical ones in both the amount of airborne pollen released and the spectrum of other bioparticles, including potential phytopathogens. To test this, spore traps were installed at three heights (0, 50, and 150 cm) above both typical and aberrant populations, and the captured airborne bioparticles were analysed. Pollen concentrations were markedly reduced above aberrant populations, consistent with their feminised floral structures. Differences were also observed in the composition and abundance of airborne fungal spores, with several phytopathogenic taxa, such as Cryptophyllachora, Albugo, and Puccinia, occurring more frequently above aberrant stands. These findings provide the first aerobiological evidence of distinct airborne particle profiles associated with the aberrant morphotype, highlighting possible links with phytopathogens. Further work, including tissue-level pathogen detection, will be required to confirm causal relationships.

Airborne pathogens pose significant public health risks, especially in tropical countries like Indonesia, where year-round warmth and high humidity facilitate microbial survival. Dense urban settings, limited healthcare infrastructure, and frequent interactions between human and animal populations exacerbate the spread of bacteria, viruses, and fungi through both indoor and outdoor air. Traditional sampling methods, including settle plates and impaction samplers, have offered foundational insights into microbial loads but often fail to detect the full range of microorganisms. Recent advances in molecular diagnostics, such as polymerase chain reaction and metagenomics, now enable detailed analyses of airborne pathogens, uncovering critical information about species diversity and potential antibiotic resistance. Recognizing the complexity of disease transmission, this manuscript embraces a One Health perspective, advocating for collaboration across human, veterinary, and environmental sectors. Policy integration is equally vital: While Indonesia enforces regulations on chemical pollutants, microbial air quality remains largely overlooked. Strengthening detection strategies, updating public health policies, and raising community awareness can collectively shift national efforts from reactive containment to proactive surveillance. Recommendations include establishing multi-tiered monitoring networks that gather baseline data while rapidly investigating hotspots, augmenting laboratory capacity for advanced diagnostic methods, and implementing regulatory frameworks that address airborne pathogen thresholds in high-occupancy facilities. Through these strategies, Indonesia can bolster its resilience against airborne diseases, safeguarding public health amid rapid demographic and environmental changes.

This note introduces the newly developed MeteoSwiss operational pollen classification model based on digital holography and induced fluorescence measurements. A targeted selection of curated training datasets together with a revised model architecture result in considerable improvements compared to previous operational model. The new classification model, which has been trained specifically for Switzerland, is provided openly for use in a standard format for machine learning interoperability. In addition to the description of the new classification model, we motivate the need for this development by presenting the most significant issue met during the first 5 years of operation of the Swiss automatic pollen monitoring network.

The sensitization to prevalent environmental aeroallergens is pivotal in the etiology and intensity of respiratory allergic diseases, particularly bronchial asthma (BA) and allergic rhinitis (AR). The assessment of aeroallergen sensitization is essential for clinicians to refine therapeutic approaches. Skin prick testing (SPT) is recognized as a reliable diagnostic tool for immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic disorders, yet; however, the allergen sensitivity profile in Yemen remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to assess the sensitization profiles to aeroallergens in patients with respiratory allergic diseases in Sana'a City, Yemen. This cross-sectional study, involving 315 patients with respiratory allergic diseases, was conducted between February and May 2020 in Sana’a City, Yemen. The patients were classified based on demographic and clinical diagnosis. The study excluded individuals with a history of drug use, including antihistamines, corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory agents, and immunosuppressants, which could interfere with active infections, allergic skin conditions, pregnancy, or skin tests. The SPT was conducted using 20 different types of environmental aeroallergen extracts. Data were examined with SPSS version 23.0, where descriptive statistics for study variables were computed and relevant significance tests were executed to ascertain statistical relevance. The study of 315 patients included 222 (70.5%) males and 93 (29.5%) females, with a median age of 41 years. The prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases was 55.9% for AR and 44.1% for BA. The overall prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens was 63.5%. Among the cohort, 33.7% exhibited monosensitization to a single aeroallergen, whereas 29.8% demonstrated sensitization to multiple aeroallergens. The predominant aeroallergens sensitization included weeds (41.1%), house dust mites (HDM) (23.8%), and animal dander (17.5%). The most common aeroallergens were Salsola kali at 10.5%, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pteronyssinus) at 10.2%, and Dermatophagoides farinae (D. farinae) at 9.8. Aeroallergen sensitization was significantly more prevalent in patients with AR than in those with BA, with notable increases in sensitization rates for weeds and HDM aeroallergens (p˃ 0.05), and a significant rise in sensitization to date palm allergen (Phoenix dactylifera) in AR compared to BA (p = 0.017). The study findings indicate a significant prevalence of sensitization to various aeroallergens in individuals with AR and BA. Salsola kali, D. pteronyssinus, and D. farinae were identified as the most common aeroallergens in study patients.

Influenza seasonality is influenced by environmental and ecological conditions as well as evolutionary processes shaping the transmission potential of airborne Influenza A virus (IAV) particles and subsequent infectious disease. Considering fluctuating environmental conditions with absolute humidity as a key driver, we analyzed environmental effects on the infection dynamic in Germany during the influenza seasons between 2010 and 2018. Despite the fact that Germany is a comparably homogenous country with regard to socio-economical, and environmental properties, influenza seasons differed significantly between individual German counties and cities, with a clear gradient in incidence and intensity between the Southeast and Northwest. Thus, the transmission of IAV influenced by slight differences in the predominant weather conditions throughout Germany, emphasizing the importance of air temperature and absolute humidity for airborne flu virus transmission.

Rice diseases in Brunei Darussalam have not been properly documented. Thus, this study compiled all the types of rice diseases that were documented by the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood (DoAA) in Brunei from 1984 until 2021. This study also conducted brief rice disease inspections at the Wasan paddy field in 2022 and 2023 (4.7884° N, 114.8221° E). Bioaerosol samples were collected using a Hirst-type volumetric sampler throughout the growing season of paddy. The most frequently documented rice diseases in Brunei were leaf spot (frequency of detection 23%), grain discolouration (19%), rice blast (17%), and sheath blight (14%). During disease inspections, we found 15 different types of rice diseases observed including bacterial blight, bacterial streak, brown spot, false smut, grain discolouration, leaf scald, leaf spot, narrow brown spot, neck blast, panicle blast, rice blast, sheath blight, sheath rot, stem rot, and tungro virus. We identified 19 paddy pathogens (16 fungi and 3 bacteria) using morphological characterization and metabarcoding analysis in bioaerosol samples, where these pathogens are commonly known to cause certain types of rice diseases, and we found that these pathogens are associated with some of the observed rice diseases. Our findings provide insight into the role of bioaerosols in disease dissemination towards the paddy crop, so that proper disease management can potentially be employed.