Diversity analyses of bioaerosol samples from highly loaded workplaces as found in agricultural production or waste management help to improve the knowledge of exposure levels of workers. However, different used methods resulting in the detection of different bacterial species at the same work places. The present study obviously supports the deviation of received results using cultivation and further isolation approaches. Within the present study, the bacterial community at workplaces was estimated using the powerful tool of 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses after cultivation procedure. To avoid complex isolation procedures, the suitability of cultivation and subsequent cloning procedures was determined in bioaerosols from a duck hatchery. Diversity analysis of one bioaerosol sample, which was prepared independently three times in parallel, resulted in similarity values of 38.5%-57.1%. Further, similarity analysis calculated from three independent bioaerosol samplings on 1 day resulted in 31%-40% similarity. Although similar concentration between 2.22 × 106 and 4.46 × 106 CFU per m3 hatchery air were measured, in a ring-like trail, diversity analyses from six labs differ widely, resulting in 38.9%-78.6% divergence. The present method seems to be very useful for diversity analysis of bioaerosol samples, although heterogeneity in monitoring of airborne bacteria via cultivation was pointed out.
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; bacterial diversity; bioaerosols; cloning; culture; duck hatchery; occupational exposure.
© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.