Bioaerosols: detection of insect transmitted pathogens

Begomovirus was detected as a bioaerosol. Detection of pathogens is critical to monitoring their distribution and spread, and is a key component in the prediction and management of disease epidemiology. Monitoring for pathogens as bioaerosols, requires developing techniques which are sensitive, affordable, and time saving before they will have widespread impact. This approach overcomes private property issues which are a major pitfall in monitoring diseases in complex agricultural and urban settings. In this study, we have applied an emerging technology of electrostatic sampling to the detection of an insect-transmitted plant pathogen as a bioaerosol. Where insects aggregate in large numbers, as with whiteflies, leafhoppers, psyllids and honey bees, the pathogen (ie. virus or bacteria) becomes aerosolized as thousands of excreta droplets fall from the plants during feeding. Agricultural systems have not fully measured the impact of bioaerosols on disease epidemiology. Electrostatic sampling provides a valuable, affordable, method for monitoring for diseases as bioaerosols which includes plant, animal and human pathogens. Our results successfully used an electrostatic sampling device to collect an aerosolized begomovirus from the air near whiteflies feeding on virus-infected tomato plants.