Bioaerosols are small, airborne biological materials & are subcategories of particles released from terrestrial and marine ecosystems into the atmosphere. They are ubiquitous in the environment comprised of aerosols that originated biologically such as live or dead microorganism and their metabolites, toxins, or fragments that exist widely in the environment.

1. Bio-aerosols & their effects
Dinithi Vihanga De Silva

2. Content
1. what is Bio-aerosols
2. Bio-aerosols classification
3. Sources of Bio-aerosol
4. What processes can generate bio-aerosols?
5. Transmission
6. Impacts
7. Bio aerosol sampling
8. Positive & negative effects of bio-aerosols
9. Future perspective
10.Conclusion
11.References

3. Primary biological aerosols (PBA), in short bio-aerosols,
are a subset of atmospheric particles, which are directly
released from the biosphere into the atmosphere.
(Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J., et al. 2016)
What is Bio-aerosols?

4. Examples of the Bio-aerosols
 Pollen
 Spores (fungal spores)
 Bacteria
 Algae
 Archaea
 Animal dander
 Saliva
 Viruses
 Proteins Figure 01- pollen grains
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/03/pollen-
grains-under-microscope.html

5. https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/13997/view/fungal
-spores-sem
Figure 02- Fungal spores
https://www.technologynetworks.com/immunology/new
s/pathogenic-bacteria-evade-antibiotics-by-hibernating-
310068
Figure 03- Bacteria

6. Table 01- Estimates of global emissions of bioaerosol particles

7. Viable bio-aerosols (alive)
• Bacteria
• Algae
• Archaea
• protozoa
Non- viable bio-aerosols
(dead)
• Animal dander
• Pollen
• Saliva
• Toxins
Bio-aerosols

8. Aerobiology
Aerobiology is the study of
airborne biological particles
and their movement and
impact on human, animal
and plant health.
Fig : 04- Philip Gregory (1907-1986)
The father of modern Aerobiology
https://www.bspp.org.uk/phgregory/

9. Reference ;
Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J., Kampf, C.J., Weber, B.,
Huffman, J.A., Pöhlker, C., Andreae, M.O., Lang-
Yona, N., Burrows, S.M., Gunthe, S.S., Elbert, W. and
Su, H., 2016. Bioaerosols in the Earth system:
Climate, health, and ecosystem interactions.
Atmospheric Research, 182, pp.346-376.
Figure 05- Characteristic size
ranges of atmospheric
particles and bioaerosols
with exemplary illustrations:
(A) protein,
(B) virus,
(C) bacteria,
(D) fungal spore
(E) pollen grain

10. Sources of Bio-aerosol
Pollen dust
Sneezing / coughing
Fungi dust
Dander, Saliva & fur dust

11. Wind
rain and wave splash
 spray irrigation
wastewater treatment activity
cooling towers
air handling water spray systems
agricultural processes
(such as harvesting and tilling)
What processes can generate bio-aerosols?
Figure 06 – wastewater treatment activity
https://mcmgrp.com/portfolio/town-of-westville-wastewater-
treatment-facility-upgrade/

12. Transmission
 Wind turbulence
 Tropical storms
 Dust plumes
(Mainly by air)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226662704_Inte
rcontinental_Transport_of_Dust_Historical_and_Recent_Ob
servational_Evidence/figures?lo=1
Figure 07- Dust plume
https://slideplayer.com/slide/5220505/
Figure 08 – tropical storms

13. Impacts
Bio-
aerosols
Health
effects
Eco
system
Agriculture
Climate
Infectious
diseases

14. Figure 09- Bio-aerosol cycling in
the Earth system.
Reference :
Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J., Kampf, C.J et al 2016.
Environmental
effects
(Eco-system)

15. Health effects
 Bio-aerosols pose organ-specific or systemic health hazards to humans.
 Bio-aerosols are known to modulate the immune system causing
autoimmunity or hypersensitivity in humans. (Humbal, C., et al 2018.)
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Diseases
 Cancer
Major groups of diseases

16. Health Effects of Bio-aerosols
Bio-aerosols Health effect/disease /symptoms
Bacteria Legionnaire’s disease, Pontiac fever.
Viruses Common cold, Influenza, Measles, Bronchitis
Rheumatic fever, Otitis media, Carditis, Diphtheria
Whooping cough, Tuberculosis, Meningitis and Q –
fever
Fungi Histoplasmosis, Cocciodomycosis and
Blastomycosis
Antigens Allergic diseases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis
(HP) Allergic asthma, Rhynitis and Pergillosis
Table 02- Health Effects of Bio-aerosols

17. Bio-aerosols known to travel great distances
 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus
 Long distance transport over the sea
Infectious Diseases
Figure 10 -foot-and-mouth disease Rweyemamu, M. et al 2008
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1865-1682.2007.01013.x
figure 11- Spread of FMD in the old world

18. Bio-aerosols affect on
Agriculture
Figure 12- Symptoms and morphology of coffee leaf
rust, Hemileia vastatrix.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51816981_Cryptosexuality_and_the_
Genetic_Diversity_Paradox_in_Coffee_Rust_Hemileia_vastatrix/figures?lo=1
Several plant pathogens, are responsible
for significant economic losses in
agriculture worldwide. (Aylor and Taylor, 1982;
Brown and Hovmøller, 2002)
 Rust
 downy mildew
 powdery mildew diseases

19. Climate
https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2019/25/e3sconf_caduc2019_04007.pdf
References:
Noda, J., Tomizawa, S., Hoshino, B., Munkhjargal, E., Kawai, K. and Kai, K., 2019.
Atmospheric dust as a possible survival factor for bioaerosols. In E3S Web of
Conferences (Vol. 99, p. 04007). EDP Sciences.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/saharan-dust-plume-slams-u-s-
kicking-up-climate-questions/
Figure 13 – Atmospheric dust

20. Disadvantages
Negative effects
 Air pollution (fungal, soil dust)
 Health effects (human & animal diseases) (saliva, pathogenic bioaerosols)
 Reduce the photosynthesis (soil dust)
 Discolouration of the buildings and vehicles (dust)
 Low yield because of the plant pathogens

21. Positive effects of (farm) bio-aerosols:
exposure in early life → protective effect on
allergy/asthma
Positive effects
Advantages
References :
Douglas, P
., Robertson, S., Gay, R., Hansell, A.L. and Gant, T.W., 2018.

22. Future perspective
(1)Bio-particle identification and
characterization
(2)Atmospheric transport and
transformation
(3)Ecosystem interactions of bio-
aerosols.
Open for researches
J. Fröhlich-Nowoisky et al. / Atmospheric Research 182 (2016) 346–376
Figure 14-interactions and effects of biogenic aerosol
particles in the Earth system,

23. Conclusion
 Bio-aerosols are the biological airborne particles
& also they are the dispersal reproductive units
from animals, plants and microbes for which the
atmosphere enables transport over geographic
barriers and long distances.
 They are central elements in the development,
evolution, and dynamics of ecosystems.

24. Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J., Kampf, C.J., Weber, B., Huffman, J.A., Pöhlker, C., Andreae, M.O., Lang-Yona, N., Burrows, S.M.,
Gunthe, S.S., Elbert, W. and Su, H., 2016. Bioaerosols in the Earth system: Climate, health, and ecosystem interactions.
Atmospheric Research, 182, pp.346-376.
Humbal, C., Gautam, S. and Trivedi, U., 2018. A review on recent progress in observations, and health effects of bioaerosols.
Environment International, 118, pp.189-193.
Douwes, J., Thorne, P., Pearce, N. and Heederik, D., 2003. Bioaerosol health effects and exposure assessment: progress and
prospects. The Annals of occupational hygiene, 47(3), pp.187-200.
West, J.S. and Kimber, R.B.E., 2015. Innovations in air sampling to detect plant pathogens. Annals of Applied Biology, 166(1),
pp.4-17.
Golan, J.J. and Pringle, A., 2017. Long-distance dispersal of fungi. Microbiology spectrum, 5(4), pp.5-4.
Rweyemamu, M., Roeder, P., MacKay, D., Sumption, K., Brownlie, J. and Leforban, Y., 2008. Planning for the progressive
control of foot‐and‐mouth disease worldwide. Transboundary and emerging diseases, 55(1), pp.73-87.
Rweyemamu, M., Roeder, P., Mackay, D., Sumption, K., Brownlie, J., Leforban, Y., Valarcher, J.F., Knowles, N.J. and Saraiva,
V., 2008. Epidemiological patterns of foot‐and‐mouth disease worldwide. Transboundary and emerging diseases, 55(1), pp.57-
72.
Noda, J., Tomizawa, S., Hoshino, B., Munkhjargal, E., Kawai, K. and Kai, K., 2019. Atmospheric dust as a possible survival
factor for bioaerosols. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 99, p. 04007). EDP Sciences.
Douglas, P., Robertson, S., Gay, R., Hansell, A.L. and Gant, T.W., 2018. A systematic review of the public health risks of
bioaerosols from intensive farming. International journal of hygiene and environmental health, 221(2), pp.134-173.
References

25. Acknowledgement