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Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Biological Aerosols: Effect on the Respiratory Microbiome and a Comparison of Measurement Methods

Niemeier-Walsh, Christine
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1329-2247
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592134878472621

Abstract Details

2020, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health).
Exposures to both biological aerosols and traffic-related air pollution have well-documented adverse health effects. These exposures are relevant to public, environmental, and occupational health. The goal of this study was to further our understanding of biological aerosol and traffic pollution exposure by providing new insight into the impacts of traffic pollution on the body, and by examining ways in which to measure biological aerosol exposure. This dissertation consists of three related aims. The objectives of the first two aims were to examine the effect of traffic pollution exposure on the respiratory microbiome and to characterize and compare the microbial communities of the respiratory tract and home dust, which is representative of the bioaerosol exposure in the home. The objective of the third aim was to compare two bioaerosol measurement methods and examine the effect of traffic pollution on those methods. In Aim 1, we collected induced sputum samples from a longitudinal cohort of adolescents with a well-characterized traffic pollution exposure history. Metagenomics sequencing, specifically 16s rDNA for bacteria and ITS rDNA for fungi, was used to compare the microbial communities in the sputum of the adolescents in the high and low traffic pollution exposure groups. A linear regression model was used to examine the association of traffic pollution exposure and microbial diversity in the lower respiratory tract. In Aim 2, the sputum and saliva samples collected for Aim 1 were characterized along with home dust samples taken from the same participants. The bacterial and fungal diversity and community compositions of each sample type were compared. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the total bacterial and fungal load in each sample type. We also examined the differences in the microbial communities of home dust between traffic pollution exposure groups, genders, and asthma status. In Aim 3, two culture-independent bioaerosol sampling methods, a Button™ personal inhalable sampler and the InstaScope™, were compared in a field study in a vacant apartment unit near three major highways. The effect of traffic pollution on these methods was examined, as some components of traffic pollution may interfere with the InstaScope™. The results of Aim 1 showed that there is an association of traffic pollution exposure and bacterial diversity in the lower respiratory tract. Aim 2 showed that the bacterial and fungal communities in sputum, saliva, and dust differed, but that there were no observable differences in the home dust communities between the high and low traffic pollution exposure groups. Aim 3 showed that the two bioaerosol measurement methods that we examined rarely correlate for the measurement of bacteria and fungi, and that traffic pollution correlated with the fungal concentrations measured by each method. This dissertation work suggests that bioaerosols and traffic pollution should be examined together in future exposure assessment research. This work is particularly relevant to home health care workers, who have simultaneous exposure to traffic pollution from commuting between homes, and exposure to bioaerosols from the homes themselves, sometimes while performing cleaning tasks.
Tiina Reponen, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Jaroslaw Meller, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Nicholas Ollberding (Committee Member)
Patrick Ryan, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jurate Virkutyte, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
116 p.
Environmental Health
respiratory microbiome; traffic pollution; biological aerosols; home dust microbiome; induced sputum; indoor air

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Niemeier-Walsh, C. (2020). Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Biological Aerosols: Effect on the Respiratory Microbiome and a Comparison of Measurement Methods [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592134878472621

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Niemeier-Walsh, Christine. Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Biological Aerosols: Effect on the Respiratory Microbiome and a Comparison of Measurement Methods. 2020. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592134878472621.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Niemeier-Walsh, Christine. "Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Biological Aerosols: Effect on the Respiratory Microbiome and a Comparison of Measurement Methods." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592134878472621

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1592134878472621
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© 2020, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Biological Aerosols: Effect on the Respiratory Microbiome and a Comparison of Measurement Methods by Christine Niemeier-Walsh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.