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Atmosphere
Special Issues
Occupational Exposure Biological Agents: Focus on a Growing Concern
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Occupational Exposure Biological Agents: Focus on a Growing Concern

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2021) | Viewed by 7888

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Philippe Duquenne

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Head of Laboratory (ASTEC), Spatio-Temporal Analysis of the Occupational Exposure to Biological and Chemical agents, INRS National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases, 75011 Paris, France
Interests: occupational exposure; chemical agents; microbial agents
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Workers may be exposed to biological agents, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their associated compounds and metabolites, during their work shifts and all of their working life. This concerns many occupational environments, including health care, food industries, agriculture, waste management chains, offices, etc. While the occupational exposure to biological agents is acknowledged, their mechanisms of action on workers’ health are not fully elucidated and no occupational exposure limits are available. The current pandemic due to the SARS-COV-2 virus has moreover raised awareness of the issue with regard to new and emerging infectious agents. Thus, there is still a need for better understanding the exposure in the workplace, its effects on workers’ health and the adapted prevention strategies. The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss the state of knowledge regarding the occupational exposure to biological agents (bacteria, fungi, viruses, associated compounds/metabolites). Papers and reviews are welcome to illustrate current advances on the issue of:

  • Biological agents at the workplace and their danger*
  • Methods and strategies for their study
  • Routes, circumstances and levels of exposure
  • Health impacts of exposure
  • Implementation of preventive measures for biological risks
  • Biological risks in the “exposome” concept

Dr. Philippe Duquenne
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biological agents
  • occupational exposure
  • bacteria
  • fungi virus
  • health effects

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 2901 KiB  
Article
MRSA Colonization in Workers from Different Occupational Environments—A One Health Approach Perspective
by Ketlyn Oliveira, Carla Viegas and Edna Ribeiro
Atmosphere 2022, 13(5), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050658 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1997
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus and particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections are currently associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. The global escalation in the development of antibiotic-resistant human pathogens and S. aureus ability in developing new clones with the capacity to invade [...] Read more.
Staphylococcus aureus and particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections are currently associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. The global escalation in the development of antibiotic-resistant human pathogens and S. aureus ability in developing new clones with the capacity to invade community settings, leads to an urgent need to develop accurate and efficient assessments of S. aureus colonization in occupational settings, particularly those with increased risk of human and animal colonization and food contamination. Here we present cross-sectional studies with the aim to assemble crucial information regarding MRSA prevalence in workers from five different Portuguese occupational environments (bakeries, swineries (humans and animals), ambulance crews, veterinary clinics and healthcare facilities). Our data demonstrated high prevalence of S. aureus asymptomatic carriers among bakery workers (40%; 75% MSSA and 25% MRSA), swinery workers (54%; 8% MSSA and 46% MRSA), firefighters (48.5%; 24% MSSA and 21% MRSA) and healthcare workers (Study 1: 42.2%; 18.4% MSSA and 23.7% MRSA, Study 2: 43.3% MRSA). S. aureus prevalence in veterinary staff was 7.1% (MSSA), lower than the results obtained in control groups (33.3% S. aureus; MRSA 4% to 10%). The present study sustains the urge to develop accurate and efficient assessment of S. aureus human and animal colonization, particularly in high risk occupational settings, with proper guidelines and validated procedures in order to avoid potential hazardous health outcomes associated with bioaerosol exposure and associated infectious diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occupational Exposure Biological Agents: Focus on a Growing Concern)
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12 pages, 693 KiB  
Article
Bioaerosol Emissions during Organic Waste Treatment for Biopolymer Production: A Case Study
by Erica Pascale, Elena Franchitti, Chiara Caredda, Stefania Fornasero, Giulia Carletto, Biancamaria Pietrangeli, Francesco Valentino, Paolo Pavan, Giorgio Gilli, Elisa Anedda and Deborah Traversi
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12081069 - 20 Aug 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2158
Abstract
Environmentally sustainable methods of waste disposal are a strategic priority. For organic waste management and innovative biological treatments present advantageous opportunities, although organic waste treatment also includes environmental drawbacks, such as bioaerosol production. This study aims to evaluate bioaerosol spread during an innovative [...] Read more.
Environmentally sustainable methods of waste disposal are a strategic priority. For organic waste management and innovative biological treatments present advantageous opportunities, although organic waste treatment also includes environmental drawbacks, such as bioaerosol production. This study aims to evaluate bioaerosol spread during an innovative experimental treatment. The process consists of two anaerobic steps: acidogenesis, which includes polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation, followed by methanogenesis. Bioaerosol, PM10, and endotoxin concentrations were measured at three sampling points during different campaigns to evaluate: (1) the background levels, (2) the contamination produced in the pre-treatment stage, and (3) the residual contamination of the outgoing digested sludge. Environmental PM10 seemed to be generally quite contained, while the endotoxin determination was close to 90 EU/m3. Significant microbial concentrations were detected during the loading of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (fungi > 1300 CFU/m3, Bacillus genus (≈103 CFU/m3), higher Clostridium spp. and opportunistic human pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae), suggesting a significant contamination level. Such results are useful for hazard identification in the risk assessment of innovative processes, as they reveal contaminants potentially harmful to both workers’ health and the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occupational Exposure Biological Agents: Focus on a Growing Concern)
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Review

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17 pages, 1580 KiB  
Review
Microbial Occupational Exposure Assessments in Sawmills—A Review
by Marta Dias, Bianca Gomes, Renata Cervantes, Pedro Pena, Susana Viegas and Carla Viegas
Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020266 - 04 Feb 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3036
Abstract
The composition of airborne microflora in sawmills may vary to a great degree depending on the kind of timber being processed and the technology of production being used. Cases of allergy alveolitis and asthma have been reported in woodworkers who were exposed to [...] Read more.
The composition of airborne microflora in sawmills may vary to a great degree depending on the kind of timber being processed and the technology of production being used. Cases of allergy alveolitis and asthma have been reported in woodworkers who were exposed to wood dust largely infected with microorganisms. The aim of this review article is to identify studies where the microbial occupational exposure assessment was performed in sawmills and the characteristics of the contamination found, as well as to identify which sampling methods and assays were applied. This study reports the search of available data published regarding microbial occupational exposure assessment in environmental samples from sawmills, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) methodology. The most used sampling method was air sampling, impaction being the most common method. Regarding analytical procedures for microbial characterization, morphological identification of fungi and bacteria was the most frequent approach. Screening for fungal susceptibility to azoles was performed in two studies and four studies applied molecular tools. Regarding microbial contamination, high fungal levels were frequent, as well as high bacteria levels. Fungal identification evidenced Penicillium as the most frequent genera followed by Aspergillus sp. Mycotoxins were not assessed in any of the analyzed studies. Microbial occupational exposure assessment in sawmills is crucial to allow this risk characterization and management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occupational Exposure Biological Agents: Focus on a Growing Concern)
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