Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA Concentrations

Abstract Background Airborne pathogenic bacteria sampling is critical for microbial risk assessment. The stress induced by sampling methods such as filtration and liquid impingement can affect the bioactivity and integrity of collected microbial samples, but the roles of sampling time, media, and re...

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Main Authors: Shu-An Lee, Yee-Lynn Low, Atin Adhikari, Wei-Kuang Wang, Chih-Ming Liang, Li-Te Chang, Chuen-Jinn Tsai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-05-01
Series:Aerosol and Air Quality Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-025-00021-1
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author Shu-An Lee
Yee-Lynn Low
Atin Adhikari
Wei-Kuang Wang
Chih-Ming Liang
Li-Te Chang
Chuen-Jinn Tsai
author_facet Shu-An Lee
Yee-Lynn Low
Atin Adhikari
Wei-Kuang Wang
Chih-Ming Liang
Li-Te Chang
Chuen-Jinn Tsai
author_sort Shu-An Lee
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Airborne pathogenic bacteria sampling is critical for microbial risk assessment. The stress induced by sampling methods such as filtration and liquid impingement can affect the bioactivity and integrity of collected microbial samples, but the roles of sampling time, media, and replenishment strategies remain unclear. Methods This study evaluated the culturability, viability, and DNA loss percentage (DLP) of collected Escherichia coli using two common sampling techniques: filter-based sampling (Button Sampler) with two filter types (mixed cellulose ester (MCE) and polycarbonate (PC)) and liquid impingement-based sampling (BioSampler) with three collection media (DI water, PBS, and a Tween mixture (TM)). Sampling times ranged from 0 to 120 minutes. Replenishment effects were assessed for liquid impingement-based sampling. Results Longer sampling times significantly reduced bacterial culturability and viability across all methods. MCE filters showed better performance than PC filters, with lower DLP. TM as the impingement medium with replenishment preserved the highest viability (89.91%) and culturability (69.64%) at 120 min, with the lowest reaerosolization loss (0.12%) and DLP (36.27%). DLP was negatively correlated with viability (r = –0.762, p 0.01) and culturability (r = – 0.638, p 0.01). Conclusions Sampling media, replenishment, and time substantially affect the bioactivity and DLP of collected microbial sample. TM-based BioSampler with replenishment is preferable for environmentally sensitive bacteria. Sampling time should be minimized to reduce DNA loss and ensure microbial viability and culturability. Graphical abstract
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spelling doaj-art-4e18524f5a8d482c96ea6668832e07662025-08-20T03:24:32ZengSpringerAerosol and Air Quality Research1680-85842071-14092025-05-0125611410.1007/s44408-025-00021-1Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA ConcentrationsShu-An Lee0Yee-Lynn Low1Atin Adhikari2Wei-Kuang Wang3Chih-Ming Liang4Li-Te Chang5Chuen-Jinn Tsai6Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, Feng Chia UniversityDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Science, Feng Chia UniversityDepartment of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern UniversityDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Science, Feng Chia UniversityDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Science, Feng Chia UniversityDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Science, Feng Chia UniversityInstitute of Environmental Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityAbstract Background Airborne pathogenic bacteria sampling is critical for microbial risk assessment. The stress induced by sampling methods such as filtration and liquid impingement can affect the bioactivity and integrity of collected microbial samples, but the roles of sampling time, media, and replenishment strategies remain unclear. Methods This study evaluated the culturability, viability, and DNA loss percentage (DLP) of collected Escherichia coli using two common sampling techniques: filter-based sampling (Button Sampler) with two filter types (mixed cellulose ester (MCE) and polycarbonate (PC)) and liquid impingement-based sampling (BioSampler) with three collection media (DI water, PBS, and a Tween mixture (TM)). Sampling times ranged from 0 to 120 minutes. Replenishment effects were assessed for liquid impingement-based sampling. Results Longer sampling times significantly reduced bacterial culturability and viability across all methods. MCE filters showed better performance than PC filters, with lower DLP. TM as the impingement medium with replenishment preserved the highest viability (89.91%) and culturability (69.64%) at 120 min, with the lowest reaerosolization loss (0.12%) and DLP (36.27%). DLP was negatively correlated with viability (r = –0.762, p 0.01) and culturability (r = – 0.638, p 0.01). Conclusions Sampling media, replenishment, and time substantially affect the bioactivity and DLP of collected microbial sample. TM-based BioSampler with replenishment is preferable for environmentally sensitive bacteria. Sampling time should be minimized to reduce DNA loss and ensure microbial viability and culturability. Graphical abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-025-00021-1FilterLiquid impingementCulturabilityViabilityDNA loss
spellingShingle Shu-An Lee
Yee-Lynn Low
Atin Adhikari
Wei-Kuang Wang
Chih-Ming Liang
Li-Te Chang
Chuen-Jinn Tsai
Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA Concentrations
Aerosol and Air Quality Research
Filter
Liquid impingement
Culturability
Viability
DNA loss
title Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA Concentrations
title_full Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA Concentrations
title_fullStr Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA Concentrations
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA Concentrations
title_short Effect of Sampling Time and Sampling Media During Filter and Liquid Impingement-Based Sampling on Collected Bacterial Viability, Culturability, and DNA Concentrations
title_sort effect of sampling time and sampling media during filter and liquid impingement based sampling on collected bacterial viability culturability and dna concentrations
topic Filter
Liquid impingement
Culturability
Viability
DNA loss
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-025-00021-1
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