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The abundance of urban endotoxins as measured with an impinger-based sampling strategy

Tijdschriftbijdrage - Tijdschriftartikel

© 2018, Springer Nature B.V. Endotoxins are components of Gram-negative bacteria with inherently high pro-inflammatory potential. In an urban environment, airborne endotoxins may associate with pollutants such as particulate matter, increasing the severity of the immune response by acting as a natural adjuvant to augment inflammatory respiratory disease development. Here, we present a closer look at outdoor urban endotoxins by applying a microbial-targeted collection strategy. Results from 87 samples distributed throughout the city of Antwerp ranged from 0.45 to 93.71 EU/m3, with a geometric mean of 4.49 EU/m3 and 95% confidence interval of 3.53–5.71 EU/m3. Sample collection was also coupled with the use of a Coulter counter, for which the particle count (2.5–10 μm/m3) showed a significant correlation with endotoxin concentration (R2 = 0.24; p < 0.0001; n = 64). In addition, the analysis of the cultivable bacterial colony-forming units on Reasoner’s 2A agar (expressed CFU/m3) showed to be a good indicator for airborne endotoxins (R2 = 0.57; p < 0.0001; n = 58). Moreover, identification of dominant bacterial colonies on these culture plates gave some indications on potential sources of these urban outdoor bacteria and endotoxins.
Tijdschrift: Aerobiologia
ISSN: 0393-5965
Issue: 4
Volume: 34
Pagina's: 487 - 496
Jaar van publicatie:2018