title: Neuraminidase as an enzymatic marker for detecting airborne Influenza virus and other viruses.
abstract: Little information is available regarding the effectiveness of air samplers to collect viruses and regarding the effects of sampling processes on viral integrity. The neuraminidase enzyme is present on the surface of viruses that are of agricultural and medical importance. It has been demonstrated that viruses carrying this enzyme can be detected using commercial substrates without having to process the sample by methods such as RNA extraction. This project aims at evaluating the effects of 3 aerosol-sampling devices on the neuraminidase enzyme activity of airborne viruses. The purified neuraminidase enzymes from Clostridium perfringens, a strain of Influenza A (H1N1) virus, the FluMist influenza vaccine, and the Newcastle disease virus were used as models. The neuraminidase models were aerosolized in aerosol chambers and sampled with 3 different air samplers (SKC BioSampler, 3-piece cassettes with polycarbonate filters, and Coriolis μ) to assess the effect on neuraminidase enzyme activity. Our results demonstrated that Influenza virus and Newcastle disease virus neuraminidase enzymes are resistant to aerosolization and sampling with all air samplers tested. Moreover, we demonstrated that the enzymatic neuraminidase assay is as sensitive as RT-qPCR for detecting low concentrations of Influenza virus and Newcastle disease virus. Therefore, given the sensitivity of the assay and its compatibility with air sampling methods, viruses carrying the neuraminidase enzyme can be rapidly detected from air samples using neuraminidase activity assay without having to preprocess the samples.
authors.affiliation: a Centre de recherche, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, 2725 chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1V 4G5, Canada.|b Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.affiliation: a Centre de recherche, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, 2725 chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1V 4G5, Canada.|b Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Josée
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Toulouse
authors.affiliation: b Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: c Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Dongqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Centre de recherche, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, 2725 chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1V 4G5, Canada.|b Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duchaine
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000391:Air Microbiology; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000032:analysis; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000032:analysis*; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D009439:Neuraminidase
keywords: Influenza virus; aerosolization; air sampling; aérosolisation; bioaerosols; bioaérosols; neuraminidase; virus de l’influenza; échantillonnage d’air