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The Differential Vertical Distribution of the Airborne Biological Particles Reveals an Atmospheric Reservoir of Microbial Pathogens and Aeroallergens

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

The most abundant biological particles present in the air are bacteria, fungal propagules and pollen grains. Many of them are proved allergens or even responsible for airborne infectious diseases, which supports the increase of studies in recent years on their composition, diversity, and factors involved in their variability. However, most studies in urban areas are conducted close to ground level and a factor such as height is rarely taken into account. Thus, the information about how the composition of biological particles changes with this variable is scarce. Here, we examined the differential distribution of bacteria, fungi, and plants at four altitudes (up to ∼ 250 m) in a metropolitan area using high-throughput DNA sequencing. Most taxa were present at all levels (common taxa). However, a transitional layer between 80 and 150 m seemed to affect the scattering of these bioaerosols. Taxa not present at all altitudes (non-common) showed an upward tendency of diversity for bacteria and plants with height, while the opposite trend was observed for fungi. Certain patterns were observed for fungi and specific plant genera, while bacterial taxa showed a more arbitrary distribution and no patterns were found. We detected a wide variety of aeroallergens and potential pathogens at all heights, which summed a substantial portion of the total abundance for fungi and plants. We also identified potential connections between the biological particles based on their abundances across the vertical section.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank CEPSA S.A.U., and Mr. P. Plasencia Muñoz in particular, for the support provided to conduct the sampling in “Torre CEPSA” (Madrid, Spain). We also thank Dr. A. Rastrojo for his help during sample collection.

Funding

This work was supported by the Community of Madrid (Spain), under the AIRBIOTA-CM Program [grant number S2013/MAE-2874].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM), c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006, Madrid, Spain

    Andrés Núñez & Diego A. Moreno

  2. Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain

    Andrés Núñez

  3. Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (FF-UCLM), Avda. Dr. José María Sánchez Ibáñez s/n, E-02008, Albacete, Spain

    Diego A. Moreno

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  1. Andrés Núñez
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  2. Diego A. Moreno
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Correspondence to Diego A. Moreno.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Núñez, A., Moreno, D.A. The Differential Vertical Distribution of the Airborne Biological Particles Reveals an Atmospheric Reservoir of Microbial Pathogens and Aeroallergens. Microb Ecol 80, 322–333 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-020-01505-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-020-01505-w

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