The effect of the air sampling method on the recovery of Mycoplasma gallisepticum from experimentally produced aerosols

Background: A reliable air sampling method is a prerequisite to calculate the inhaled aerosol dose by animals exposed to the aerosol as precise as possible.[Comp]: Set abstract according to the journal style.[/Comp] Objective: To examine if aerosol collection in a fluid medium (buffered peptone water (BPW) in the impinger) improves detection of viable mycoplasmas. Also the effect of adding Mycoplasma Experience (ME) broth and/or BPW to the aerosol fluid on aerosol titres was assessed. Methods: Aerosols containing a Mycoplasma gallisepticum field or vaccine strain were simultaneously sampled with gelatin filters and by impinger immediately after ending aerosolization and 25 min later. Results: Sampling of M. gallisepticum aerosols using the impinger did not yield higher aerosol titres compared to sampling with gelatin filters. Initial loss during generation of the field strain aerosol and the half-life time of viable mycoplasmas in the aerosol were 1.1–2.4 log10 and <4–15 min, respectively. The vaccine strain was more vulnerable compared to its field counterpart. In spite of higher aerosolized doses of the vaccine strain (108.0 to 108.1 versus 107.5 cfu per m3 of air of the field strain), mycoplasmas were not recovered from the aerosols neither by gelatin filter nor by impinger. Therefore, half-life times could not be calculated. Addition of BPW to the aerosol fluid did not clearly improve the recovery of the field strain from the aerosol, while addition of ME broth and BPW did. Conclusion: Gelatin filters likely due to their relative high moisture content (10–14% wt/wt) are at least as useful as the impinger for the recovery of M. gallisepticum from aerosols, provided exsiccation of the filters is prevented.

[1]  Yang Zhao,et al.  Investigation of the Efficiencies of Bioaerosol Samplers for Collecting Aerosolized Bacteria Using a Fluorescent Tracer. II: Sampling Efficiency and Half-Life Time , 2011 .

[2]  W. Landman,et al.  Aerosolization of Mycoplasma synoviae compared with Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Enterococcus faecalis , 2004, Avian pathology : journal of the W.V.P.A.

[3]  W. Landman,et al.  Investigations of Enterococcus faecalis-induced bacteraemia in brown layer pullets through different inoculation routes in relation to the production of arthritis , 2003, Avian Pathology.

[4]  W. Landman,et al.  Field studies on the association between amyloid arthropathy and Mycoplasma synoviae infection, and experimental reproduction of the condition in brown layers , 2001, Avian pathology : journal of the W.V.P.A.

[5]  Y. C. Lin,et al.  Storage effects on bacterial concentration: determination of impinger and filter samples. , 2001, The Science of the total environment.

[6]  W. Landman,et al.  Aerosol transmission of arthropathic and amyloidogenic Enterococcus faecalis. , 2001, Avian diseases.

[7]  T. Sonoda,et al.  Comparative studies of the persistence of animal mycoplasmas under different environmental conditions. , 2001, Veterinary microbiology.

[8]  W. Landman,et al.  Aerosolization of Newcastle disease vaccine virus and Enterococcus faecalis. , 2001, Avian diseases.

[9]  Chihshan Li.  Evaluation of Microbial Samplers for Bacterial Microorganisms , 1999 .

[10]  W. Landman,et al.  Induction of amyloid arthropathy in chickens , 1997 .

[11]  W. Landman,et al.  A syndrome associated with growth depression and amyloid arthropathy in layers: a preliminary report. , 1994, Avian pathology : journal of the W.V.P.A.

[12]  A. McBain,et al.  Investigations into the survival of Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma synoviae and Mycoplasma iowae on materials found in the poultry house environment. , 1994, Avian pathology : journal of the W.V.P.A.

[13]  H. Van Roekel,et al.  Viability studies with Mycoplasma gallisepticum under different environmental conditions. , 1966, Poultry science.

[14]  T. Araki,et al.  Effect of residual moisture content on the survival of freeze-dried bacteria during storage under various conditions. , 1966, Cryobiology.