Characteristics of airborne virus capture using the BioSampler

Abstract

The sampling and detection of bioaerosols are of utmost importance due to the detrimental health consequences associated with these airborne biological particles. Airborne pathogens are a matter of significant concern owing to their ability to be transmitted and disseminated through the air, resulting in the spread of infectious diseases. To implement proactive measures for mitigating the transmission of diseases, it is imperative to develop a prompt sampling and detection system for airborne pathogens. Therefore, the collection of bioaerosols through sampling is a fundamental and essential procedure in numerous bioaerosol investigations. In this study, we investigate the characteristics of airborne virus capture. Collect airborne viruses and bacteria using the SKC BioSampler, which is the most extensively used, reference microbial air sampler. The sampling was conducted at varying virus concentrations in the air, both greater and lower. The viability was measured using MS2 viruses and Escherichia coli c3000 Bacteria. The BioSampler was run at different flow rates of 4, 8, 12.5, and 20 L/min at larger concentrations of starting suspension, and it was observed that the relative infectious virus concentration (RIVC) values compared to the virus suspension were higher at 20 L/min compared to 12.5 L/min, with a ratio of 2.39E0. In a similar vein, it was observed that the suspension with a lower concentration demonstrated higher values of RIVC at a flow rate of 20 L/min compared to a flow rate of 12.5 L/min, with the former exhibiting values around 1.07E+1 times more than the latter. Furthermore, while utilizing the suspension with a lower concentration at a flow rate of 4 L/min, the RIVC values were not observed due to the considerably reduced sample velocity of the SKC BioSampler. The SKC BioSampler was assessed for Its effectiveness In collecting airborne bacteria In comparison with virus capture. The same range of flow rates that were used for this evaluation. Two different concentrations of bacterial suspensions were utilized. The results showed that at a flow rate of 20 L/min, the higher concentration of bacterial suspensions yielded 1.32E0 times higher relative culturable bacteria concentration (RCBC) compared to a flow rate of 12.5 L/min1. Similarly, for the lower concentration, a flow rate of 20 L/min resulted in RCBC values that were 2.09E0 times higher than those obtained at 12.5 L/min, consistent with the virus data we obtained in this work. The observed alteration in the RCBC value was found to be following the rise in flowrate. Additionally, it demonstrated a similar outcome of no colony formation when run at a flowrate of 4 L/min, owing to a reduced bacterial concentration. The observed steady increase in RCBC values across different flowrates and concentration variations can be attributed to the fact that the SKC BioSampler demonstrates a maximum collection efficiency of 90% for bacterial sampling at a flowrate of 12.5 L/min2. In the aforementioned study, an experiment was conducted using the same methodology to investigate the impact of flow rates on the RIVC values. The experiment involved utilizing MS2 virus suspensions with varying concentrations and subjecting them to flow rates of 12.5 and 20 L/min. The sampling times were set at 10, 30, and 60 minutes to examine any potential changes in RIVC values. This experiment was aimed to verify if alterations in sampling time would affect the RIVC values when flow rates were adjusted. However, it was observed that the flowrate of 20 L/min exhibited superior performance compared to the flowrate of 12.5 L/min in both scenarios, as the RIVC value showed a consistent increase over time. This study significantly advances our knowledge of airborne virus capture dynamics in the impinger, which is one of the most widely used types of microbial air sampling. The findings provide valuable insights into the intricate interplay of concentration levels, sampling times, and flow rates, offering a nuanced understanding essential for the development of targeted and effective control measures. Ultimately, this research contributes essential groundwork for mitigating the risks associated with airborne virus transmission, thereby safeguarding public health on a broader scale. Keywords: Airborne viruses, Virus transmission, Bioaerosols, SKC BioSampler, collision nebulizer, Concentration levels, Sampling times, Flow rates, MS2 virus, E. Coli c300, Bacterial strain, Physical collection efficiency.