title: Molecular approaches for the detection and monitoring of microbial communities in bioaerosols: A review.
abstract: Bioaerosols significantly affect atmospheric processes while they undergo long-range vertical and horizontal transport and influence atmospheric chemistry and physics and climate change. Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to bioaerosols may cause adverse health effects, including severe disease. Studies of bioaerosols have primarily focused on their chemical composition and largely neglected their biological composition and the negative effects of biological composition on ecosystems and human health. Here, current molecular methods for the identification, quantification, and distribution of bioaerosol agents are reviewed. Modern developments in environmental microbiology technology would be favorable in elucidation of microbial temporal and spatial distribution in the atmosphere at high resolution. In addition, these provide additional supports for growing evidence that microbial diversity or composition in the bioaerosol is an indispensable environmental aspect linking with public health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea; Division of Natural Resources Conservation, Korea Environment Institute, Sejong-si 30147, South Korea.
authors.forename: Keunje
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, South Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Kwon
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Joo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Natural Resources Conservation, Korea Environment Institute, Sejong-si 30147, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jihoon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Built and Natural Environment, Caledonian College of Engineering, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: Sudheer Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.affiliation: Division of Natural Resources Conservation, Korea Environment Institute, Sejong-si 30147, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Il
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea. Electronic address: parkj@yonsei.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Joonhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis*; D000391:Air Microbiology; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants
keywords: Airborne microbial community; Bioaerosol; Metagenomics; Molecular methods