Narrow Results

The Asian dust phenomena, Kosa, have possibility to carry the microbial particles (Kosa bioaerosol) influencing the microbial habitats and the human health in Japan. In this study, the bioaerosol were collected at 600 m and 2 m above ground in Kanazawa city at the Kosa coming season, April in 2007. In the culture media based on seawater and lake water, the bioaerosol at 600 m indicated the microbial growth only in the seawater medium, but no growth in the lake water medium. The bioaerosol at 2 m grew in the both media. The halophilic bacteria would maintain viable activities in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the microorganisms in the bioaerosol at 2 m indicated the better growth in this order of 0%, 3%, and 10% of NaCl concentrations, and no growth was detected in the 20% NaCl medium. According to the PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) analysis, same bacterial species were detected in the every NaCl concentration of culture medium, and other bacterial species could grow only in the culture media with 3% or 10% NaCl concentrations. Therefore, the halophilic or halotolerant bacteria would survive in the aerosol at 2 m above ground, and may be related to the microbial transport across the ground-atmosphere.