Airborne DNA: State of the art – Established methods and missing pieces in the molecular genetic detection of airborne microorganisms, viruses and plant particles

Bioaerosol is composed of different particles, originating from organisms, or their fragments with different origin, shape, and size. Sampling, analysing, identification and describing this airborne diversity has been carried out for over 100 years, and more recently the use of molecular genetic too...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pogner , C-E, Antunes , Cm, Apangu , G P, Al ,, Lara Espinar, Beatriz, Pérez Badía, María Rosa
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repositorio:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/43808
Acceso en línea:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177439
https://hdl.handle.net/10578/43808
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Aerobiology
Bacteria
Bioaerosols
DNA sequencing
Fungi
Molecular genetic analysis
Pollen
Virus
Descripción
Sumario:Bioaerosol is composed of different particles, originating from organisms, or their fragments with different origin, shape, and size. Sampling, analysing, identification and describing this airborne diversity has been carried out for over 100 years, and more recently the use of molecular genetic tools has been implemented. However, up to now there are no established protocols or standards for detecting airborne diversity of bacteria, fungi, viruses, pollen, and plant particles. In this review we evaluated commonalities of methods used in molecular genetic based studies in the last 23 years, to give an overview of applicable methods as well as knowledge gaps in diversity assessment. Various sampling techniques show different levels of effectiveness in detecting airborne particles based on their DNA. The storage and processing of samples, as well as DNA processing, influences the outcome of sampling campaigns. Moreover, the decisions on barcode selection, method of analysis, reference database as well as negative and positive controls may severely impact the results obtained. To date, the chain of decisions, methodological biases and error propagation have hindered DNA based molecular sequencing from offering a holistic picture of the airborne biodiversity.Reviewing the available studies, revealed a great diversity in used methodology and many publications didnt state all used methods in detail, making comparisons with other studies difficult or impossible.To overcome these limitations and ensure genuine comparability across studies, it is crucial to standardize protocols. Publications need to include all necessary information to enable comparison among different studies and to evaluate how methodological choices can impacts the results.Besides standardization, implementing of automatic tools and combining of different analytical techniques, such as real-time evaluation combined with sampling and molecular genetic analysis, could assist in achieving the goal of accurately assessing the actual airborne biodiversity.