TY - JOUR
T1 - Surgical Face Mask as an Air Sampling Device for Assessing Personal Exposure to Airborne Antimicrobial Resistance Gene-Bearing Bacteria
AU - Ham, Yat Hing
AU - Cheng, Jinping
AU - Nagl, Stefan
AU - Yu, Jian Zhen
AU - Cai, Zongwei
AU - Chan, Wan
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial support from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (GRF 16101821 and 16301221) is gratefully acknowledged.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Chemical Society
PY - 2024/10/22
Y1 - 2024/10/22
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207258872&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c04703
DO - 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c04703
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85207258872
SN - 0003-2700
VL - 96
SP - 17021
EP - 17026
JO - Analytical Chemistry
JF - Analytical Chemistry
IS - 42
ER -