TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         i

Declaration  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ii

Certification –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iii

Acknowledgements         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iv

Table of Contents  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         v

CHAPTER ONE 

1.0 INTRODUCTION –         –         –         –         –         –         –         1

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 AIR MICROBIAL QUALITY IN OUTDOOR (AMBIENT) SETTINGS –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         5

2.1   Microbial quality in indoor settings       –         –         –         –         8

2.2   Monitoring techniques for microbial air quality         –         –         12

2.3    Techniques for detection, identification and monitoring of airborne microbes and other pollutants    –         –         –         –         –         16

2.3.1  Culture based methods     –         –         –         –         –         –         16

2.3.2   Culture-Independent Methods   –         –         –         –         –         16

2.3.3  Use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies    –         17

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     HEALTH IMPLICATION OF POOR MICROBIAL AIR QUALITY 

3.1     Rhinitis        –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         19

3.2     Asthma       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         19

3.3    Chronic Bronchitis          –         –         –         –         –         –         21

3.4     Chronic Airflow Obstruction    –         –         –         –         –         22

3.5     Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (Hp) Or Extrinsic

Allergic Alveolitis (Eaa)  –         –         –         –         –         –         22

3.6     Sick Building Syndrome –         –         –         –         –         –         23

3.7     Health effects induced due to biological contaminants in air –     24

3.7.1  Respiratory infections      –         –         –         –         –         –         25

3.7.2  Infectious diseases –         –         –         –         –         –         –         26

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0     SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

4.1     Summary     –         –         –         –         –         –         –         30

4.2     Conclusion  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         31

REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Clean air is a fundamental requirement for life.  In the last two decades, there has now been a pronounced consciousness about the air quality of both the indoor and outdoor systems, as the micro- organisms   prevailing in an environment symbolize the diverse human activities (Pasquella et al., 2000; Barbarian et al., 2015a.) as well as their functions in different ecosystems (Adams et al., 2016). However, in densely populated areas, airborne microbial contaminants, especially the emerging pathogens and contaminants, can have numerous adverse effects on human health and well-being, including inflammation, toxic effects (allergic reposes) and infections (Schimidt et al., 2012; Wei et al., 2014). The term ‘bio aerosol’ refers to airborne biological particles (living and non- living), volatile organic compounds (voc) formed from the dispersal and excretions of particles released from diverse ecosystems into the atmosphere (Saramanda Peter et al., 2016). Bio- aerosols are generally ubiquitous in the environment and due to their small particle size (<2.5µm) are easily dispersed in the air. These aerosols created at the surface of aquatic systems are known to concentrate and carry microbes through the liquid air interface (Brodie at al., 2007). The sizes of the bio aerosol particulate vary in the range of 0.3-100mm in diameter.  Bio aerosol includes virus, fungi, bacteria, pollen and their by-products such as volatile organic compounds. Air quality is a global issue, particularly in developing countries and declining air quality is a deepening environmental unease. Poor air quality threatens human health and contribute to environmental damage.

The indoor environment is a very complex environment. Pollutants are numerous in both outdoor and indoor air. While the same pollutants (biological, chemical, or radioactive) can be identified in indoor and outdoor spaces their concentrations can be very different. More specifically, extremely high concentrations can accumulate indoors. Many bacteria that belong to the normal Micro flora of the human skin are continuously emitted into the immediate surroundings of humans, and accumulate indoors.

The pollution of the indoor spaces is an important element that can affect human health. People spend around 90% or more of their time of a day indoors. Indoor spaces include the inside of houses, schools university rooms, social building like shops, cars, planes, and workplaces. The outdoor and indoor environments are linked. The two elements cannot be separated from plant or animal matter or from micro- organisms.

Elements identified in the air include bacteria, either in vegetative status or spores, fungi, yeasts, microbial toxins and secondary metabolites like bacterial endotoxin, peptidoglycans or fungal β (1,3)- glucans, volatile organic compounds, pollens, pet and insect allergens, other allergens, viruses, protozoa  etc (Nevalainen and Morawska, 2009).

Many bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa may be infectious to humans and they may cause specific infectious diseases. Infectious agents are usually received from other humans from animals (these infections are zooness), or from environmental sources such as contaminated water, soil, etc. Biological contamination in indoor air may have sources like outdoor air, human body, bacteria that are growing indoors and pets. This seminar will therefore review microbial quality of indoor and indoor air and human health implications.