Indoor bioaerosol dynamics

Nazaroff, William W

Some of the chemical analytes that can be used in bioaerosol studies are of interest because of their direct potential for adverse health consequences. Examples include endotoxin and (1?3)-b-D-glucans. Other analytes, such as ergosterol or muramic acid, are not of direct health concern, but rather can be valuable as quantitative indicators of broad bioaerosol categories. Dynamic processes can influence indoor bioaerosol concentrations by an order of magnitude or more over time scales that are as short as minutes. Consequently, it is important to have measurement tools that permit sampling and analysis with high time resolution. There are no methods for bioaerosol sampling and analysis that are suitable for routine research application, that are highly specific, and that exhibit good time resolution. Because of these limitations, process-oriented studies that are discussed in the next section have largely used abiotic particles as surrogates. The recent advent of real-time fluorescence-based instruments enhances capabilities for studying dynamic behavior of bioaerosols. These instruments offer excellent time and size resolution, but typically provide no biological specificity, even at the level of differentiating between bacteria and fungi.