| Autor: |
Radosevich MT; University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA 94720., Dobson S; University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109., Weaver AK; University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA 94720., Lampman PTA; University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814., Kollath D; Northern Arizona University, Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Flagstaff, AZ 86011., Couper L; University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA 94720., Campbell G; University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA 94720., Taylor JW; University of California Berkeley, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720., Remais JV; University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Berkeley, CA 94720., Kobziar L; University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814., Markwiese J; Environmental Protection Agency, Ecology Effects Branch, Corvallis, OR 97333., Head JR; University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.; University of Michigan, Institute of Global Change Biology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. |
| Abstrakt: |
Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal infection caused by inhalation of Coccidioides spp. spores. While airborne dispersal is critical to Coccidioides transmission, limited recovery of the pathogen from air has hindered understanding of the aerosolization and transport of spores. Here, we examine uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) with portable, active air samplers as a novel means of capturing aerosolized Coccidioides and characterizing emissions and exposure risk. We sampled in September 2023 in eastern San Luis Obispo County, California, in an area with confirmed Coccidioides immitis in soils. We completed 41 20-minute flights across 14 sites using UAS equipped with an 8 L/min bioaerosol sampler and a low-cost particulate matter sensor. We sampled source soils and air under ambient conditions using one UAS at 1-10 m altitude, and under a simulated high-dust event using two UAS, one at <2 m altitude and one at 5-12 m. We detected Coccidioides DNA in two of 41 air samples (4.9%), both under ambient conditions at 8 m altitude, representing the highest known altitude of airborne Coccidioides detection. Spatially explicit UAS-based sampling could enhance understanding of Coccidioides aerobiology and enable detection in hard-to-reach or hazardous air masses, including dust storms and wildland fire smoke. |
