Long-Term Monitoring of Bioaerosols in an Environment without UV and Desiccation Stress, an Example from the Cave Postojnska Jama, Slovenia.

ABSTRACT: A natural cave environment subject to regular human visitation was selected for aerobiological study to minimize the effects of severe temperature fluctuations, UV radiation, and desiccation stress on the aerobiome. The longer sampling period of bioaerosols, up to 22 months, was generally not associated with a proportionally incremental and cumulative increase of microbial biomass. The culture-independent biomass indicator ATP enabled quick and reliable determination of the total microbial biomass. Total airborne microbial biomass was influenced by human visitation to the cave, as confirmed by significantly higher concentrations being observed along tourist footpaths (p < 0.05). Airborne beta-glucans (BG) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are present in cave air, but their impact on the

SUBMITTER: Mulec J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10053050 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature