New paper of interest on combining qPCR & sequencing to quantify fungi in aerosols

Nice new paper from Karen Dannemiller et al. (the senior author is Jordan Peccia from Yale): Citation: Dannemiller, K. C., Lang-Yona, N., Yamamoto, N., Rudich, Y., & Peccia, J. (2013). Combining Real-Time PCR and Next-Generation DNA Sequencing to Provide Quantitative Comparisons of Fungal Aerosol Populations. Atmospheric Environment in Press. The abstract is copied below.  Basically, they …

“Mechanisms by Which Ambient Humidity May Affect Viruses in Aerosols” new paper from Linsey Marr’s group

An interesting review article from Linsey Marr’s group at Virginia Tech looking at the various factors that might influence virion survival in aerosols.   Abstract below: Many airborne viruses have been shown to be sensitive to ambient humidity, yet the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon remain elusive. We review multiple hypotheses, including water activity, surface inactivation, …

Upcoming symposium on the Indoor Microbiome at the American Association for Aerosol Research meeting, October 8-12 2012 (Minneapolis)

Here’s a really interesting sounding upcoming symposium on the indoor microbiome, chaired by Jordan Peccia and Tiina Reponen.   This will take place on October 9th, 2012 at the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) meeting in Minneapolis. The description is below: Continually evolving molecular biology and computational methods are catalyzing the further integration of the …

Yes, Virginia, you “emit” microbes when you walk into a room

Glad to see this paper on emission of bacteria by people is now available under Wiley’s “Open Access” option: Size-resolved emission rates of airborne bacteria and fungi in an occupied classroom – Qian – 2012 I am particularly glad since this one got a lot of media coverage and I think it is VERY important for …

Do you survey biological aerosols? If so – feedback wanted on protocols used

Got this email from Jordan Peccia at Yale who is working on a report regarding sampling microbes in air.  If you are working on sampling biological material from air please consider filling out the template and sending it to Jordan.  Thanks Based on the Sloan Sponsored Indoor Microbiome Sampling Workshop held last spring, Jayne Morrow …