Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2013 Oct;79(20):6331-6. doi: 10.1128/AEM.01583-13. Epub 2013 Aug 9.
Vacuum cleaners can release large concentrations of particles, both in their exhaust air and from resuspension of settled dust. However, the size, variability, and microbial diversity of these emissions are unknown, despite evidence to suggest they may contribute to allergic responses and infection transmission indoors. This study aimed to evaluate bioaerosol emission from various vacuum cleaners. We sampled the air in an experimental flow tunnel where vacuum cleaners were run, and their airborne emissions were sampled with closed-face cassettes. Dust samples were also collected from the dust bag. Total bacteria, total archaea, Penicillium/Aspergillus, and total Clostridium cluster 1 were quantified with specific quantitative PCR protocols, and emission rates were calculated. Clostridium botulinum and antibiotic resistance genes were detected in each sample using endpoint PCR. Bacterial diversity was also analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), image analysis, and band sequencing. We demonstrated that emission of bacteria and molds (Penicillium/Aspergillus) can reach values as high as 1E5 cell equivalents/min and that those emissions are not related to each other. The bag dust bacterial and mold content was also consistent across the vacuums we assessed, reaching up to 1E7 bacterial or mold cell equivalents/g. Antibiotic resistance genes were detected in several samples. No archaea or C. botulinum was detected in any air samples. Diversity analyses showed that most bacteria are from human sources, in keeping with other recent results. These results highlight the potential capability of vacuum cleaners to disseminate appreciable quantities of molds and human-associated bacteria indoors and their role as a source of exposure to bioaerosols.
吸尘器在排放废气和使沉降灰尘重新扬起时，都会释放大量的颗粒物。然而，这些排放物的大小、可变性和微生物多样性尚不清楚，尽管有证据表明它们可能导致室内过敏反应和感染传播。本研究旨在评估各种吸尘器的生物气溶胶排放。我们在一个实验性的气流隧道中采样空气，在那里运行吸尘器，并使用封闭式盒式取样器采集其空气传播排放物。还从集尘袋中收集灰尘样本。使用特定的定量 PCR 方案对总细菌、总古菌、青霉/曲霉和总梭菌簇 1 进行定量，并计算排放率。在每个样本中使用终点 PCR 检测肉毒梭菌和抗生素抗性基因。还使用变性梯度凝胶电泳 (DGGE)、图像分析和条带测序分析细菌多样性。我们证明，细菌和霉菌（青霉/曲霉）的排放可高达 1E5 个细胞当量/分钟，并且这些排放彼此之间没有关联。我们评估的所有吸尘器的集尘袋中的细菌和霉菌含量也一致，达到高达 1E7 个细菌或霉菌细胞当量/g。在几个样本中检测到抗生素抗性基因。在任何空气样本中均未检测到古菌或肉毒梭菌。多样性分析表明，大多数细菌来自人类，这与其他最近的结果一致。这些结果突出了吸尘器在室内传播大量霉菌和人类相关细菌的潜力，以及它们作为生物气溶胶暴露源的作用。
