Novel Multi-Slit Large-Volume Air Sampler

Scientific investigators who are interested in the various facets of airborne transmission of disease in research laboratories and hospitals need a simple, continuous, high-volume sampling device that will recover a high percentage of viable microorganisms from the atmosphere. Such a device must sample a large quantity of air. It should effect direct transfer of the air into an all-purpose liquid medium in order to collect bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, and fungi, and it should be easy to use. A simple multi-slit impinger sampler that fulfills these requirements has been developed. It operates at an air-sampling rate of 500 liters/min, has a high collection efficiency, functions at a low pressure drop, and, in contrast to some earlier instruments, does not depend upon electrostatic precipitation at high voltages. When compared to the all-glass impinger, the multi-slit impinger sampler collected microbial aerosols of Serratia marcescens at 82% efficiency, and aerosols of Bacillus subtilis var. niger at 78% efficiency.     

Characterization of reaerosolization from impingers in an effort to improve airborne virus sampling

Aims:  To assess the impact of reaerosolization from liquid impingement methods on airborne virus sampling.
Methods and Results:  An AGI-30 impinger containing particles [MS2 bacteriophage or 30-nm polystyrene latex (PSL)] of known concentration was operated with sterile air. Reaerosolized particles as a function of sampling flow rate and particle concentration in the impinger collection liquid were characterized using a scanning mobility particle sizer. Reaerosolization from the impinger was also compared to that from a BioSampler. Results show that reaerosolization increases as flow rate increases. While the increased particle concentration in the impinger collection liquid leads to an increase in the reaerosolization of PSL particles, it does not necessarily lead to an increase in the reaerosolization of virus particles. Reaerosolization of virus particles begins to decrease as the particle concentration in the impinger collection liquid rises above 10⁶ PFU ml⁻¹. This phenomenon results from aggregation of viral particles at high concentrations. Compared with micron-sized particles, nanosized virus particles are easier to aerosolize because of reduced inertia. Reaerosolization from the BioSampler is demonstrated to be significantly less than that from the impinger.
Conclusions:  Reaerosolization from impingement sampling methods is a mode of loss in airborne virus sampling, although it is not as significant a limitation as the primary particle size of the aerosol. Utilizing a BioSampler coupled with short sampling periods to prevent high accumulative concentrations can minimize the impact of reaerosolization.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This study confirms reaerosolization of virus particles to be a mode of loss in impingement sampling and identifies methods to minimize the loss.     

Comparison of methods for detection and enumeration of airborne microorganisms collected by liquid impingement.

Bacterial agents and cell components can be spread as bioaerosols, producing infections and asthmatic problems. This study compares four methods for the detection and enumeration of aerosolized bacteria collected in an AGI-30 impinger. Changes in the total and viable concentrations of Pseudomonas fluorescens in the collection fluid with respect to time of impingement were determined. Two direct microscopic methods (acridine orange and BacLight) and aerodynamic aerosol-size spectrometry (Aerosizer) were employed to measure the total bacterial cell concentrations in the impinger collection fluid and the air, respectively. These data were compared with plate counts on selective (MacConkey agar) and nonselective (Trypticase soy agar) media, and the percentages of culturable cells in the collection fluid and the bacterial injury response to the impingement process were determined'. The bacterial collection rate was found to be relatively unchanged during 60 min of impingement. The aerosol measurements indicated an increased amount of cell fragments upstream of the impinger due to continuous bacterial nebulization. Some of the bacterial clusters, present in the air upstream of the impinger, deagglomerated during impingement, thus increasing the total bacterial count by both direct microscopic methods. The BacLight staining technique was also used to determine the changes in viable bacterial concentration during the impingement process. The percentage of viable bacteria, determined as a ratio of BacLight live to total counts was only 20% after 60 min of sampling. High counts on Trypticase soy agar indicated that most of the injured cells could recover. On the other hand, the counts from the MacConkey agar were very low, indicating that most of the cells were structurally damaged in the impinger. The comparison of data on the percentage of injured bacteria obtained by the traditional plate count with the data on percentage of nonviable bacteria obtained by the BacLight method showed good agreement.     

Impaction onto a Glass Slide or Agar versus Impingement into a Liquid for the Collection and Recovery of Airborne Microorganisms

To study impaction versus impingement for the collection and recovery of viable airborne microorganisms, three new bioaerosol samplers have been designed and built. They differ from each other by the medium onto which the bioaerosol particles are collected (glass, agar, and liquid) but have the same inlet and collection geometries and the same sampling flow rate. The bioaerosol concentrations recorded by three different collection techniques have been compared with each other: impaction onto a glass slide, impaction onto an agar medium, and impingement into a liquid. It was found that the particle collection efficiency of agar slide impaction depends on the concentration of agar in the collection medium and on the sampling time, when samples are collected on a nonmoving agar slide. Impingement into a liquid showed anomalous behavior with respect to the sampling flow rate. Optimal sampling conditions in which all three new samplers exhibit the same overall sampling efficiency for nonbiological particles have been established. Inlet and collection efficiencies of about 100% have been achieved for all three devices at a sampling flow rate of 10 liters/min. The new agar slide impactor and the new impinger were then used to study the biological factors affecting the overall sampling efficiency. Laboratory experiments on the total recovery of a typical environmental microorganism, Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525, showed that both sampling methods, impaction and impingement, provided essentially the same total recovery when relatively nonstressed microorganisms were sampled under optimal sampling conditions. Comparison tests of the newly developed bioaerosol samplers with those commercially available showed that the incorporation of our research findings into the design of the new samplers yields better performance data than data from currently available samplers.     

Impact of relative humidity and collection media on mycobacteriophage D29 aerosol

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of aerosol generation, methods of sampling, storage conditions, and relative humidity on the culturability of the mycobacteriophage D29. The lytic phage D29 can kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the phage aerosol can be treated as a potential tool for tuberculosis treatment. The culturability of D29 was tested using a test chamber designed for the bioaerosols research against three spray liquids (deionized water, phosphate-buffered saline [PBS], and normal saline), four collection media (suspension medium [SM], nutrient broth, PBS, and deionized water), two sampling systems (the all-glass impinger AGI-30 and the Biosampler) and across a range of humidities (20 to 90%). The effect of storage conditions on the culturability of collected sample was also evaluated for the AGI-30 impinger. The results proved that viable phage D29 particles generated by deionized water were approximately 30- and 300-fold higher than PBS and normal saline, respectively. As collection media, SM buffer and nutrient broth were observed to yield a higher number of plaques compared to PBS and deionized water. No difference was observed in collection efficiency between AGI-30 and Biosampler with two detection methods (culture-based technique and real-time PCR). The culturability of collected D29 in SM buffer or nutrient broth can be maintained up to 12 h irrespective of storage temperature. Relative humidity was found to strongly influence airborne D29 culturability which is 2- to 20-fold higher in low humidity (25%) than medium (55%) or high (85%) humidity. This research will help identify the optimal means for the application of D29 aerosol in animal inhalation experiments.     

Evaluation of Four Aerobiological Sampling Methods for the Retrieval of Aerosolized Pseudomonas syringae

The Andersen six-stage impactor, the SAS (Surface Air System) impactor, the AGI-30 impinger, and gravity plates were evaluated for the retrieval of aerosol-released Pseudomonas syringae. The upper limits of the impactor samplers were exceeded at a spray concentration of 10⁷ CFU/ml, indicating that these samplers are not appropriate for monitoring high airborne concentrations. Decreased cell concentrations were retrieved with increased sampling time for the Andersen and AGI samplers, indicating that a minimum sampling time is preferable for monitoring aerosolized vegetative cells.     

Alternate pathways of secretion of simian immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoproteins.

A biotinylation assay was used to detect the envelope glycoprotein of the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelope glycoprotein expressed by a recombinant vaccinia virus on the surface of HeLa T4 cells. The relationship between the detection of the envelope glycoprotein on the cell surface and its secretion from the cell was examined. It was found that much more gp120 was released into the culture medium than could be accounted for by shedding of the biotinylated SIV envelope protein from the cell surface. Treatment with the ionophore monensin showed that this drug did not block the secretion of gp120 into the culture medium even though the expression of gp120 on the cell surface was strongly downregulated. Similar results were observed for the secretion of gp120 in HUT78 cells infected with SIVmac251 virus. Brefeldin A, on the other hand, inhibited both the detection of gp120 on the cell surface and its secretion into the culture medium. On the basis of these results, we propose that gp120 can be secreted into the culture medium via at least two pathways. One pathway involves the dissociation of gp120 from membrane-associated gp41-gp120 complexes on the cell surface. However, the major pathway involves the secretion of gp120 without its transitory appearance on the cell surface as part of a gp41-gp120 complex.     

Vaccination of macaques against pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles

Vaccine vectors derived from Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) that expressed simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) immunogens were tested in rhesus macaques as part of the effort to design a safe and effective vaccine for human immunodeficiency virus. Immunization with VEE replicon particles induced both humoral and cellular immune responses. Four of four vaccinated animals were protected against disease for at least 16 months following intravenous challenge with a pathogenic SIV swarm, while two of four controls required euthanasia at 10 and 11 weeks. Vaccination reduced the mean peak viral load 100-fold. The plasma viral load was reduced to below the limit of detection (1,500 genome copies/ml) in one vaccinated animal between 6 and 16 weeks postchallenge and in another from week 6 through the last sampling time (40 weeks postchallenge). The extent of reduction in challenge virus replication was directly correlated with the strength of the immune response induced by the vectors, which suggests that vaccination was effective.     

Evaluation of media for recovery of aerosolized bacteria

Disease transmission by airborne bacteria is well known. Bacterial burden in indoor air is estimated by sampling the air and estimating Colony Forming Units (CFU) using a variety of media. In this study, the recovery of bacteria, after aerosolization in an aerosol chamber, and employing a variety of media, was compared to that achieved using Tryptic Soy Agar medium. The total number of cells present was determined by direct microscopy. All trials were conducted at approximately the same relative humidity (RH) and temperature using the same collection device. Twelve species of bacteria were tested and a total of 120 media or media combinations were evaluated. Recovery on 64 media formulations was significantly lower for all strains examined, and therefore, excluded from further consideration for the purposes of this study. Data for 56 of the media are presented. Three species (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus andSerratia marcescens) were selected as representative for reporting and testing recovery success. It is concluded that, for the media included in the study, there are large differences in recovery and successful recovery is related both to the effect of aerosolization and the type of medium employed for recovery. Brain Heart Infusion Agar (with horse serum), Tryptic Soy Agar and Mueller Hinton Agar yielded the best recoveries of aerosolized cultures. The most important finding was that only a small fraction of the airborne bacterial populations, enumerated by direct microscopy, could be recovered on any of the media tested, suggesting that culturable bacterial count is not a satisfactory means of estimating air microbial pollution.     

Effect of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection on the ovary and progesterone levels in third trimester pregnant sows

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a common cause of reproductive failure and abortion in swine. The mechanism of abortion is not fully defined, and the effect of the virus on luteal function has not been explored. In this study, we exposed late-term pregnant swine to varied doses of PRRSV strain NADC-8 and evaluated effects on ovarian function by serial determination of plasma progesterone levels and by microscopic evaluation of ovarian pathologic alterations combined with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to detect PRRSV antigen. We identified no specific trend in plasma progesterone level associated with PRRSV infection status and no microscopic ovarian lesions. PRRSV antigen was not demonstrated in ovarian tissues by immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization at necropsy 21 days postexposure. Based on these findings, it does not appear that either a direct or an indirect effect on luteal function contributes to PRRSV-induced abortion.     

猪圆环病毒2型及猪繁殖与呼吸综合症病毒的快速检测

According to the published genome sequences of Porcine circovirus type 2(PCV2)and Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV),primers were designed and PCR,RT-PCR were set up for the detection of PCV2 and PRRSV,respectively,With the established methods,38 clinical samples from the respiratory disease pigs were detected for the presence of PCV2 and PRRSV. The results demonstrated that 22 samples were positive for PCV2,27 samples were positive for PRRSV and among the above positive samples,18 samples were positive for both viruses,The data obtained in the present study indicated that PCV2 and PRRSV maybe play an important role in the course of the development of respiratiory diseases.     

Polyethylene glycol precipitation for recovery of pathogenic viruses, including hepatitis A virus and human rotavirus, from oyster, water, and sediment samples

Polyethylene glycol 6000 precipitation was found to be an effective concentration method that enhanced the chances for detecting human virus pathogens in environmental samples. Percent recoveries from eluates of fresh and estuarine waters with 8% polyethylene glycol 6000 averaged 86 for hepatitis A virus, 77 for human rotavirus Wa, 87 for simian rotavirus SA11, and 68 for poliovirus. Percent recoveries of 97, 40, 97 and 105, respectively, for the same viruses were obtained from oyster eluates by the same procedure. Percent recoveries of 97 for hepatitis A virus and 78 for human rotavirus Wa were obtained from sediment eluates containing 2 M NaNO3 with a final concentration of 15% polyethylene glycol 6000. The polyethylene glycol method was shown to be more effective than the organic flocculation method for recovery of hepatitis A virus and rotaviruses Wa and SA11, but not of poliovirus 1 in laboratory studies. In field trials, hepatitis A virus or rotavirus or both were recovered from 12 of 18 eluates by polyethylene glycol, compared with recovery from 9 of 18 eluates by organic flocculation from fresh and estuarine waters subject to pollution.     

Macrophage-derived simian immunodeficiency virus exhibits enhanced infectivity by comparison with T-cell-derived virus

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infect and productively replicate in macrophages and T lymphocytes. Here, we show that SIV virions derived from macrophages have higher levels of infectivity than those derived from T cells. The lower infectivity of T-cell-derived viruses is influenced by the quantity or type of mannose residues on the virion. Our results demonstrate that the cellular origin of a virus is a major factor in viral infectivity. Cell-type-specific factors in viral infectivity, and organ-specific or disease stage-specific differences in cellular derivation of virions, can be critical in the pathogenesis of HIV and AIDS.     

高致病性猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病RT-PCR快速鉴别诊断方法的建立与临床应用

根据高致病性猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)Nsp2基因的缺失信息,设计了3条特异性引物,以含高致病性PRRSV Nsp2基因的质粒pMDNSP2及普通PRRSV VR2332株RNA为模板,建立了快速诊断高致病性PRRSV RT-PCR方法.通过对临床组织病料的总RNA进行不同稀释倍数检测,结果表明该方法能从0.265 pg的总RNA中检测到PRRSV的基因,说明敏感性高.用该方法对猪瘟病毒(CSFV)、Ⅱ型圆环病毒(PCV-2)、伪狂犬病病毒(PRV),链球菌(Streptococcus)、副猪嗜血杆菌(Haemophilus parasuis)和大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)同条件检测,结果都为阴性.进一步对36份疑似高致病性PRRSV临床组织病料细胞培养物、2株PRRSV商品活疫苗以及52个猪场所送检的184份临床样品进行了检测应用,结果36份疑似高致病性PRRSV临床组织病料的细胞培养物有5份样品为阳性且都为高致病性PRRSV,2株PRRSV商品活疫苗为普通PRRSV,52个猪场中有42个猪场(123份样品)呈阳性,其中只有1份为普通PRRSV.实验表明该方法能够准确地鉴别诊断高致病性PRRSV和普通PRRSV,且具有快速,敏感和特异的特点,具有临床实用性.     

Polyethylene glycol precipitation for recovery of pathogenic viruses, including hepatitis A virus and human rotavirus, from oyster, water, and sediment samples.

Polyethylene glycol 6000 precipitation was found to be an effective concentration method that enhanced the chances for detecting human virus pathogens in environmental samples. Percent recoveries from eluates of fresh and estuarine waters with 8% polyethylene glycol 6000 averaged 86 for hepatitis A virus, 77 for human rotavirus Wa, 87 for simian rotavirus SA11, and 68 for poliovirus. Percent recoveries of 97, 40, 97 and 105, respectively, for the same viruses were obtained from oyster eluates by the same procedure. Percent recoveries of 97 for hepatitis A virus and 78 for human rotavirus Wa were obtained from sediment eluates containing 2 M NaNO3 with a final concentration of 15% polyethylene glycol 6000. The polyethylene glycol method was shown to be more effective than the organic flocculation method for recovery of hepatitis A virus and rotaviruses Wa and SA11, but not of poliovirus 1 in laboratory studies. In field trials, hepatitis A virus or rotavirus or both were recovered from 12 of 18 eluates by polyethylene glycol, compared with recovery from 9 of 18 eluates by organic flocculation from fresh and estuarine waters subject to pollution.     

A novel method for concentration of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus from the environmental samples using self-aggregating peptide-tagged CD151-binding capture

Environmental surveillance of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) represents a key issue in control of the disease. CD151 has recently been recognized as one of several receptors for PRRSV. We describe here a novel method for concentration of PRRSV from the environmental samples by CD151-binding capture. After fusion to self-aggregating peptide ELK16, the large extracellular loop (LEL) of porcine CD151 and its two segments (namely N63 and C63) were expressed in E. coli as protein aggregates. The three fusion proteins were purified to high purities by regular centrifugation and washing with Triton X-100. Viral binding assay showed that the C63-ELK16 protein, but not ELK16-N63 protein, had the specific binding affinity for PRRSV. The C63-ELK16 protein could bind to, and eluted from, PRRSV in pH-, temperature-, and time-dependent manners with a final virus recovery of 44.7%. By using PRRSV-spiked and experimentally infected pig fecal slurry samples, the C63-ELK16 binding capture-combined quantitative RT-PCR was shown to have higher detection sensitivity than the conventional RT-PCR. Although the viral RNA could be detected in the experimentally infected pig samples with or without C63-ELK16 binding capture, infectious PRRSV was not isolated without C63-ELK16 binding capture. Therefore, the CD151-binding capture method established offers sufficient recovery and quickness and will facilitate environmental PRRSV surveillance.

     

Detection of Legionella pneumophila in bioaerosols by polymerase chain reaction

Most studies focusing on detecting microorganisms in air by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have used a liquid impinger to sample bioaerosols, mainly because a liquid sample is easy to be processed by PCR analysis. Nevertheless, the use of multiple-hole impactors for the analysis of bioaerosols by PCR has not been reported despite its great utility in culture analysis. In this study we have modified the impaction onto an agar surface sampling method to impaction onto a liquid medium using the MAS-100 air sampler (Merck) (single-stage multiple-hole impactor). To evaluate the recovery of airborne microorganisms of both sampling methods, a suspension containing Escherichia coli was artificially aerosolized and bioaerosols were collected onto Tergitol-7 agar and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with the MAS-100. A linear regression analysis of the results showed a strong positive correlation between both sampling methods (r = 0.99, slope 0.99, and y intercept 0.07). Afterwards, the method of impingement into a liquid medium was used to study airborne Legionella pneumophila by PCR. A total of 64 samples were taken at a wastewater treatment plant, a chemical plant, and an office building and analyzed by culture and PCR. Results showed that three samples were positive both by PCR and plate culture, and that nine samples negative by plate culture were positive by PCR, proving that L. pneumophila was present in bioaerosols from these three different environments. The results demonstrate the utility of this single-stage multiple-hole impactor for sampling bioaerosols, both by culture and by PCR.     

Effect of impact stress on microbial recovery on an agar surface.

Microbial stress due to the impaction of microorganisms onto an agar collection surface was studied experimentally. The relative recovery rates of aerosolized Pseudomonas fluorescens and Micrococcus luteus were determined as a function of the impaction velocity by using a moving agar slide impactor operating over a flow rate range from 3.8 to 40 liters/min yielding impaction velocities from 24 to 250 m/s. As a reference, the sixth stage of the Andersen Six-Stage Viable Particle Sizing Sampler was used at its operating flow rate of 28.3 liters/min (24 m/s). At a collection efficiency of close to 100% for the agar slide impactor, an increase in sampling flow rate and, therefore, in impaction velocity produced a significant decline in the percentage of microorganisms recovered. Conversely, when the collection efficiency was less than 100%, greater recovery and lower injury rates occurred. The highest relative rate of recovery (approximately 51% for P. fluorescens and approximately 62% for M. luteus) was obtained on the complete (Trypticase soy agar) medium at 40 and 24 m/s (6.4 and 3.8 liters/min), respectively. M. luteus demonstrated less damage than P. fluorescens, suggesting the hardy nature of the gram-positive strain versus that of the gram-negative microorganism. Comparison of results from the agar slide and Andersen impactors at the same sampling velocity showed that recovery and injury due to collection depends not only on the magnitude of the impaction velocity but also on the degree to which the microorganisms may be embedded in the collection medium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Receptor-determined susceptibility of preimplantation embryos to pseudorabies virus and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

In the present study, the in vitro interaction of embryos with pseudorabies virus (PRV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was investigated by viral antigen detection and by evaluating the expression of virus receptors, namely, poliovirus receptor-related 1 (PVRL1; formerly known as nectin 1) for PRV and sialoadhesin for PRRSV. Embryonic cells of zona pellucida intact embryos incubated with PRV remained negative for viral antigens. Also, no antigen-positive cells could be detected after PRV incubation of protease-treated embryos, since the protease disrupted the expression of PRVL1. However, starting from the five-cell-stage onwards, viral antigen-positive cells were detected after subzonal microinjection of PRV. At this stage, the first foci of PVRL1, also a known cell adhesion molecule, were expressed. At the expanded blastocyst stage, a lining pattern of PVRL1 in the apicolateral border of trophectoderm cells was present, whereas the expression in the inner cell mass was low. Furthermore, PVRL1-specific monoclonal antibody CK41 significantly blocked PRV infection of trophectoderm cells of hatched blastocysts, while the infection of the inner cell mass was only partly inhibited. Viral antigen-positive cells were never detected after PRRSV exposure of preimplantation embryos up to the hatched blastocyst stage. Also, expression of sialoadhesin in these embryonic stages was not detected. We conclude that the use of protease to investigate the virus embryo interaction can lead to misinterpretation of results. Results also show that blastomeres of five-cell embryos up to the hatched blastocysts can become infected with PRV, but there is no risk of a PRRSV infection.