The Importance of Airborne Microorganisms Spreading Locally or across the Globe: The Main Advantage of Culture and Metagenomic Studies
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 2469
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
There has been increased interest among environmental microbiologists in the heterogeneity of airborne microorganisms that are able to survive in the atmosphere, as well as for how long. The presence of microorganisms in the atmosphere has significant impacts on human health because of their potential roles in atmospheric events such as cloud formation, precipitation, atmospheric chemistry and mobility of virulence and antibiotic resistance factors.
However, the lack of standardized protocols and methodologies, in addition to technical difficulties, such as low density of microorganisms in the air, inefficient retrieval of microorganisms from this continuous fluid and the spatial and temporal variability of a close airborne microbial community composition, has constrained advances in DNA sequencing and bioinformatics-related studies on airborne microorganisms.
Metagenomic studies offer a unique opportunity to examine viral, bacterial and fungal heterogeneity in the air and monitor their spread, including threats from pathogenic microorganisms. Airborne metagenomic studies could also lead to discoveries of novel genes and metabolic pathways relevant to meteorological and industrial applications, environmental bioremediation and biogeochemical cycles.
It is important to mention that the main advantage of culture-dependent studies is the ability to grow microorganisms in bulk and study them at both the molecular and cellular levels.
Dr. Irma Aurora Rosas-Pérez
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- airborne microorganisms
- microbial diversity
- air metagenomic
- indoor and outdoor environments
- advantage of culture and/or metagenome
- metagenomic protocol
- microbial ecology
- human health
