Challenges of studying viral aerosol metagenomics and communities in comparison with bacterial and fungal aerosols

Abstract Despite the obvious importance of viral transmission and ecology to medicine, epidemiology, ecology, agriculture, and microbiology, the study of viral bioaerosols and community structure has remained a vastly underexplored area, due to both unresolved technical challenges and unrecognized i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology letters 2014-08, Vol.357 (1), p.1-9
Main Authors: Prussin, Aaron J., Marr, Linsey C., Bibby, Kyle J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
Aerosols - analysis
Air Microbiology
Airborne microorganisms
Animals
Bacteria
Bacteria - genetics
bioaerosol
bioaerosol sampling
bioinformatics
Biomass
Community structure
Ecology
Epidemiology
Fungi - genetics
Humans
Indoor air quality
metagenomic
Metagenomics - methods
Microbiology
virus
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Summary:Abstract Despite the obvious importance of viral transmission and ecology to medicine, epidemiology, ecology, agriculture, and microbiology, the study of viral bioaerosols and community structure has remained a vastly underexplored area, due to both unresolved technical challenges and unrecognized importance. High-throughput, culture-independent techniques such as viral metagenomics are beginning to revolutionize the study of viral ecology. With recent developments in viral metagenomics, characterization of viral bioaerosol communities provides an opportunity for high-impact future research. However, there remain significant challenges for the study of viral bioaerosols compared with viruses in other matrices, such as water, the human gut, and soil. Collecting enough biomass is essential for successful metagenomic analysis, but this is a challenge with viral bioaerosols. Herein, we provide a perspective on the importance of studying viral bioaerosols, the challenges of studying viral community structure, and the potential opportunities for improvements in methods to study viruses in indoor and outdoor air. Despite the obvious importance of viruses in medicine, ecology, and agriculture, the study of viral bioaerosols has remained a vastly underexplored area, compared with bacterial and fungal bioaerosols. Despite the obvious importance of viruses in medicine, ecology, and agriculture, the study of viral bioaerosols has remained a vastly underexplored area, compared with bacterial and fungal bioaerosols.
ISSN:0378-1097
1574-6968
DOI:10.1111/1574-6968.12487