Surgical Face Mask as an Air Sampling Device for Assessing Personal Exposure to Airborne Antimicrobial Resistance Gene-Bearing Bacteria

Yat Hing Ham, Jinping Cheng, Stefan Nagl, Jian Zhen Yu, Zongwei Cai, Wan Chan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Abstract

In this study, we assessed the feasibility of using a surgical face mask as a sampling device to collect airborne antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). The method entails collection of ARG-bearing microbes on face masks, followed by their DNA extraction and quantification by qPCR analysis. Analysis of masks worn by volunteers showed an apparent mask wearing time-dependent accumulation of 16S rRNA gene and select ARGs trapped on masks, highlighting the applicability of the method in monitoring personal ARG exposure through inhalation. The sampling method was then validated for reproducibility and compared with a filter-based sampling method before application in different environmental settings to further assess personal exposure to ARGs. In comparison with the filter-based method, our new sampling method does not require a sampling pump and is more user-friendly. More importantly, it records ARG exposure down to the personalized level; thus, it may be used in routine monitoring of occupational exposure and surveillance of ARG concentrations in indoor environments.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17021-17026
Number of pages6
JournalAnalytical Chemistry
Volume96
Issue number42
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Oct 2024

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Analytical Chemistry

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