This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
Microbial Burden of Commercial Aircraft Cabin Air
Technical Paper
2005-01-3087
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
The microbial burdens of 69 cabin air samples collected in-flight aboard commercial airliners were assessed via culture-dependent and molecular-based microbial enumeration assays. Cabin air samples from each of four separate flights aboard two different carriers were collected via air-impingement. Microbial enumeration techniques targeting DNA, ATP, and endotoxin were employed to estimate total microbial burden. The total viable microbial population ranged from 0 to 3.6 × 104 cells per 100 liters of air, as assessed by the ATP-assay. When these same samples were plated on minimal medium, anywhere from 2 to 80% of the viable population was cultivable. Five of the 29 samples examined exhibited higher cultivable plate counts than ATP-derived viable counts, perhaps a consequence of the dormant nature (lower concentration of intracellular ATP) of cells inhabiting these air cabin samples. Ribosomal DNA sequence analysis showed these samples to consist of a moderately diverse group of cultivable bacteria, including human pathogens. Enumeration of ribosomal genes via quantitative-PCR indicated cellular densities of 5 × 101 to 107 cells per 100 liters of air. Each of the aforementioned strategies for assessing microbial burden has its strengths and weaknesses; this publication serves as a testament to the power of their use in concert.
Recommended Content
Aerospace Standard | NBC Protection Considerations for ECS Design |
Technical Paper | Design and Styling of an Advanced Flying Automobile |
Technical Paper | The NASA High-Speed Turboprop Program |
Authors
- Myron T. La Duc - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
- Tara Stuecker - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
- Gregory Bearman - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
- Kasthuri Venkateswaran - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Citation
La Duc, M., Stuecker, T., Bearman, G., and Venkateswaran, K., "Microbial Burden of Commercial Aircraft Cabin Air," SAE Technical Paper 2005-01-3087, 2005, https://doi.org/10.4271/2005-01-3087.Also In
References
- Amann, R. Ludwig, W. Schleifer K.-H. 1995 Phylogenetic identification and in-situ detection of individual microbial cells without cultivation Microbiol. Rev 59 143 169
- Anderson, R. L. Highsmith, A. K. Holland B. W. 1986 Comparison of the standard pour plate procedure and the ATP and Limulus amebocyte lysate procedures for the detection of microbial contamination in intravenous fluids J. Clin. Microbiol 23 465 468
- Bergogne-Berezin, E. Joly-Guillou. M. L. 1985 An underestimated nosocomial pathogen, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus J. Antimicrob. Chemother 16 535 538
- Brundrett, G. 2001 Comfort and health in commercial aircraft: a literature review J. R. Soc. Health 121 29 37
- Chang W., N. Lu C., H. Huang C., R. Chuang Y. C. 2000 Community-acquired Acinetobacter meningitis in adults Infection 28 395 397
- Chappelle, E. W. Levin. G. V. 1968 Use of the firefly bioluminescence reaction for rapid detection and counting of bacteria Biochem. Med 2 41 52
- Chung, S. Venkateswaran, K. Schubert, W. Echeveria, C. Kazarians, G. Kern, R. Wainwright, N. Basic C. 2001 Microbial populations in spacecraft assembly facilities as determined by limulus amebocyte lysate assay 101 st General meeting of the American Society of Microbiology Orlando, FL
- Colwell, R. 2000 Viable but nonculturable bacteria: a survival strategy J Infect Chemother 2 121 5
- DeHart, R. I. 2003 Health issues of air travel Annu. Rev. Public Health 24 133 151
- Donlan, R. M. 2002 Biofilms: microbial life on surfaces Emerg Infect Dis 8 881 890
- Giovannoni S. J. Britschgi T. B. Moyer C. L. Field K. G. 1990 Genetic diversity in Sargasso Sea bacterioplankton Nature 345 60 63
- Haugli, L. Skogstad, A. Hellesoy O. H. 1994 Health, sleep, and mood perceptions reported by airline crews flying short and long hauls Aviat. Space Environ. Med 65 27 34
- Hunt, J.P. Buechter, K. J. Fakhry S. 2000 Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Pneumonia and the Formation of Pneumatoceles Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care 48 964 970
- Karl, D. 1980 Cellular nucleotide measurements and applications in microbial ecology Microbiol. Rev 44 739 796
- Kimura, M. 1980 A simple method for estimating evolutionary rate of base substitutions through comparative studies of nucleotide sequences J. Mol. Evol 16 111 120
- La Duc, M. T. Sumner, R. Pierson, D. Venkateswaran K. 2003 Characterization and Monitoring of Microbes in the International Space Station Drinking Water Proceedings from the 33 rd International Conference on Environmental Systems July 7–10 2003 Vancouver, Canada SAE Technical paper series 01-2404
- La Duc, M. T. Kern, R. Venkateswaran K. 2004 Microbial Monitoring of Spacecraft and Associated Environments Microb. Ecol 47 150 158
- Lindgren, T. Andersson, K. Dammstrom, B. G. Norback D. 2002 Ocular, nasal, dermal and general symptoms among commercial airline crews Int. Occup. Environ. Health 75 475 483
- Nagda, N. (2000) Air Quality and Comfort in Airliner Cabins Stock
- Nagda, N. Hodgson. M. 2001 Low relative humidity and aircraft cabin air quality Indoor Air - International Journal of Indoor Air Quality and Climate 11 200 214
- National Research Council 1986 The Airliner Cabin Environment: Air Quality and Safety Washington, DC National Academy Press 318
- Neidhardt, F.C. 1987 Chemical composition of Escherichia coli Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium . Cellular and molecular biology 1 Neidhardt, F.C. Ingraham, J.L. Low, K.B. Magasanik, B. Schaechter M. 3 6 American Society for Microbiology Washington D.C.
- Pace, N. R. Stahl, D. A. Lane, D. J. Olsen G. J. 1985 The analysis of natural microbial communities by ribosomal RNA sequences Microb. Ecol 9 1 56
- Pal, R. B. V Kale. V. 1981 Acinetobacter calcoaceticus -an opportunistic pathogen J. Post-grad. Med 27 218 221
- Rydock, J. P. 2004 Tracer study of proximity and recirculation effects on exposure risk in an airliner cabin Aviat. Space Environ. Med 75 168 171
- Selan, L. Berlutti, F. Passariello, C. Thaller, M.C. Renzini G. 1992 Reliability of a bioluminescence ATP assay for detection of bacteria J. Clin. Microbiol. 30 1739 1742
- Stanley, P. E. 1989 A review of bioluminescent ATP techniques in rapid microbiology J. Biolumin. Chemilumin 4 375 380
- Stowe, R. P. Mehta, S. K. Ferrando, A. A. Feeback, D. L. Pierson D. L. 2001 Immune responses and latent herpesvirus reactivation in spaceflight Aviat Space Environ Med 72 884 91
- Suzuki, M. Taylor, L. DeLong E. 2000 Quantitative analysis of small-subunit rRNA genes in mixed microbial populations via 5′-nuclease assays Appl. Environ. Microbiol 66 4605 4614
- Swofford, D. 1990 PAUP: phylogenetic analysis using parsimony, version 3.0 Computer program distributed by the Illinois Natural History Survey Champaign, IL
- Van Looveren M, Goossens H. 2004 Antimicrobial resistance of Acinetobacter spp. in Europe Clin. Microbiol. Infect 10 684 704
- Venkateswaran, K. Hattori, N. La Duc, M. T. Kern R. 2002 ATP as a biomarker for viable mi-croorganisms in clean-room facilities J. Microbiol. Method 52 367 377
- von Wintzingerode, F. Gobel, U.B. Stackebrandt E. 1997 Determination of diversity in environmental samples: pitfalls of PCR-based rRNA analysis FEMS Microbiol. Rev 21 213 229
- Wainwright, N. Child, A. Williams, K. Baker, A. 2005 Rapid enzyme-based microbial burden assays: The case for certifying Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay for use on spacecraft hardware 3 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
- Wick, R. L. Jr. Irvine L. A. 1995 The micro-biological composition of airliner cabin air Aviat. Space Environ. Med 66 220 224
- Wyss, R. Stossel, U. Muff S. 2001 Air Travel – a disease risk? Ther. Umsch 58 399 403