Microbiology's Air Force
Date: 5.1.2007
Air is filthy with microbes, at least in the city. That's the conclusion from a genetic study of airborne bacteria in two U.S. cities that suggests the atmosphere may be a more important part of global microbial ecology than was assumed. It also provides the first baseline for monitoring the air for bioterrorist attacks.
Because airborne bacteria are exposed to extremes of temperature, dryness, and radiation, they are thought to be far less diverse and abundant than their peers down on the ground. It has been difficult to test that idea. The traditional method of surveying microbial populations--growing colonies in the lab--doesn't work well for studying the atmosphere's flora. Not only are airborne populations relatively sparse, but the cells are often also in a quiescent state, requiring special conditions to start growing. Finding better methods would be useful, not only for studying basic microbial ecology but also for improving a 3-year-old U.S. government effort called BioWatch, which aims to put sniffing machines in hundreds of public places to sound the alarm in case of a bioterrorism attack.
article from
"www.sciencemag.org":[ http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1220/1]
Related articles
New Science of Metagenomics Will Transform Modern Microbiology - The emerging field of metagenomics, where the DNA of entire communities of microbes is studied simultaneously, presents the greatest opportunity -- perhaps since the invention of the microscope -- to revolutionize understanding of the microbial world, says a new report from the National Research Council (29.3.2007)
