title: Airborne bacterial spore counts by terbium-enhanced luminescence detection: pitfalls and real values.
abstract: Bacterial spore determination by terbium(III)-dipicolinate luminescence has been reported by several investigators. We collected spore samples with a cyclone and extracted dipicolinic acid (DPA) in-line with hot aqueous dodecylamine, added Tb(III) in a continuous-flow system and detected the Tb(III)-DPA with a gated liquid core waveguide fluorescence detector with a flashlamp excitation source. The absolute limit of detection (LOD) for the system was equivalent to 540 B. subtilis spores (for a 1.8 m3 sample volume (t = 2 h, Q = 15 L/min), concentration LOD is 0.3 spores/L air). Extant literature suggests that, from office to home settings, viable spore concentrations range from 0.1 to 10 spores/L; however, these data have never been validated. Previously reported semiautomated instrumentation had an LOD of 50 spores/L. The present system was tested at five different location settings in Lubbock, Texas. The apparent bacterial spore concentrations ranged from 9 to 700 spores/L and only occasionally exhibited the same trend as the simultaneously monitored total optical particle counts in the > or = 0.5 microm size fraction. However, because the apparent spore counts sometimes were very large relative to the 0.5+ microm size particle counts, we investigated potential positive interferences. We show that aromatic acids are very likely large interferents. This interference typically constitutes approximately 70% of the signal and can be as high as 95%. It can be completely removed by prewashing the particles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Nano Tech Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409-1061, USA.
authors.forename: Qingyang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Purnendu K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
authors.forename: Henry K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Temkins
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D049449:Luminescence; D010848:Picolinic Acids; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013725:Terbium
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D010848:Picolinic Acids; D013725:Terbium; C004860:dipicolinic acid