Fiber sampler for recovery of bioaerosols and particles

Abstract

A bioparticle collection device and an aerosol collection system. The bioparticle collection device includes a collection medium including a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat and configured to collect bioparticles thereon, and includes a viability enhancing material provider disposed in a vicinity of the plurality of fibers and configured to provide a viability enhancing material to the collected bioparticles to maintain viability of the bioparticles collected by the fiber mat. The aerosol collection system includes an aerosol pumping device configured to entrain particles in an gas stream, an aerosol saturation device configured to saturate the particles in the gas stream with a biocompatible liquid, and an aerosol collection medium downstream from the aerosol saturation device and including a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat for collection of the saturated aerosol particles.

1 . A bioparticle collection device comprising:
 a collection medium including a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat and configured to collect bioparticles thereon; and   a viability enhancing material provider disposed in a vicinity of the plurality of fibers and configured to provide a viability enhancing material to the collected bioparticles to maintain viability of the bioparticles collected by the fiber mat.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider comprises an osmotic material disposed in contact with the plurality of fibers and configured to maintain a relative humidity suitable for said viability of bioparticles. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the osmotic material comprises a water-regulating material configured to provide water to the fibers. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the osmotic material comprises a nutrient supply providing nutrients to support biological viability of biomaterial collected in the fiber mat. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the nutrient supply comprises a supply of at least one of water, proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, salts, phosphate buffered saline, and tryptic soy broth. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the collection medium and the viability enhancing material are disposed in one of an air filter, a wipe, a brush, a swab, a sorbent pad, or a liquid filter. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise materials dissolvable in a bio-compatible solvent. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a support supporting the collection medium. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the support comprises:
 at least one of a filter, a plastic foam, a metallic foam, a semi-conductive foam, a woven material, a nonwoven material, a plastic screen, a textile, and a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter medium.   
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider comprises at least a part of the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider comprises a material different from the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the fibers have an average fiber diameter of less than 10 microns. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber mat comprises between 4 to 4000 layers of the fibers. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber mat comprises a thickness between 0.25 and 500 μm. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the fibers comprise a pH responsive material. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the fibers comprise at least one of acrylonitrile/butadiene copolymer, cellulose, cellulose acetate, chitosan, collagen, DNA, fibrinogen, fibronectin, nylon, poly(acrylic acid), poly(chloro styrene), poly(dimethyl siloxane), poly(ether imide), poly(ether sulfone), poly(ethyl acrylate), poly(ethyl vinyl acetate), poly(ethyl-co-vinyl acetate), poly(ethylene oxide), poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid), poly(methacrylic acid) salt, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(methyl styrene), poly(styrene sulfonic acid) salt, poly(styrene sulfonyl fluoride), poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile), poly(styrene-co-butadiene), poly(styrene-co-divinyl benzene), poly(vinyl acetate), poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl chloride), poly(vinylidene fluoride), polyacrylamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyamide, polyaniline, polybenzimidazole, polycaprolactone, polycarbonate, polyurethanes, poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-polyethyleneoxide), poly(etheretherketone), polyethylene, polyethyleneimine, polyimide, polyisoprene, polylactide, polypropylene, polystyrene, polysulfone, polyurethane, poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), gelatin, proteins, SEBS copolymer, silk (natural or synthetically derived), styrene/isoprene copolymer, and polymer blends including at least one of poly(vinylidene fluoride)-blend-poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene-blend-poly(vinylmethylether), poly(methyl methacrylate)-blend-poly(ethyleneoxide), poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate)-blend poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(hydroxybutyrate)-blend-poly(ethylene oxide), protein blend-polyethyleneoxide, polylactide-blend-polyvinylpyrrolidone, polystyrene-blend-polyester, polyester-blend-poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate), poly(ethylene oxide)-blend poly(methyl methacrylate), and poly(hydroxystyrene)-blend-poly(ethylene oxide)). 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the fibers comprise at least one of polyethylene oxide (PEO), poly(2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), gelatine, and poly(vinyl alcohol), cellulose acetate, chitosan, poly(lactic acid), collagen, poly caprolactone, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether, polystyrene. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider is intermixed with the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the viability enhancing material comprises a layer of biomaterial separated from the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider comprises at least one of a polycarbonate, Eudragit polymers, copolymers of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) and N-methyacryloy-L-Leucine (MALEU) or (N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), cellulose, and degraded cellulose. 
     
     
         21 . An aerosol collection system comprising:
 an aerosol pumping device configured to entrain particles in an gas stream;   an aerosol saturation device configured to saturate the particles in the gas stream with a biocompatible liquid; and   an aerosol collection medium downstream from the aerosol saturation device and including,   a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat for collection of the saturated aerosol particles, and   a viability enhancing material provider disposed in a vicinity of the plurality of fibers and configured to provide a viability enhancing material to the collected bioparticles to maintain viability of the bioparticles collected by the fiber mat.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising a humidity control device configured to maintain the collection medium at a relative humidity from 50 to 100%. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising a humidity control device configured to maintain the collection medium at a relative humidity from 65 to 85%. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising a humidity control device configured to maintain the collection medium at a relative humidity from 75 to 81%. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the aerosol collection medium comprise at least one of a flow-through or an impaction device. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider comprises an osmotic material disposed in contact with the plurality of fibers and configured to maintain a relative humidity suitable for said viability of bioparticles. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the osmotic material comprises a water-regulating material configured to provide water to the fibers. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the osmotic material comprises a nutrient supply providing nutrients to support biological viability of biomaterial collected in the filtration medium. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the nutrient supply comprises a supply of at least one of proteins, sugars, and salts. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise nanofibers. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise materials dissolvable in a bio-compatible solvent. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , further comprising a support supporting the collection medium. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the support comprises:
 at least one of a filter, a plastic foam, a metallic foam, a semi-conductive foam, a woven material, a nonwoven material, a plastic screen, a textile, and a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter medium.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider comprises at least a part of the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider comprises a material different from the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the fibers have an average fiber diameter of less than 10 microns. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the fiber mat comprises a thickness between 0.25 and 500 μm. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the fibers comprise a pH sensitive material. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the viability enhancing material provider is intermixed with the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the viability enhancing material comprises a separate layer from a layer including the plurality of fibers. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the aerosol collection medium comprises at least one of a flow-through medium or an impaction medium. 
     
     
         42 . A method for collecting aerosols, comprising:
 entraining particles in an gas stream;   saturating the particles in the gas stream with a biocompatible liquid; and   collecting the saturated aerosol particles by a collection medium including a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat including and a viability enhancing material provider disposed in a vicinity of the plurality of fibers and configured to provide a viability enhancing material to the collected bioparticles to maintain viability of the bioparticles collected by the fiber mat.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising injecting the viability enhancing material into the collection medium prior to collecting the aerosol particles. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the injecting comprises injecting at least one of water, proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, salts, phosphate buffered saline, and tryptic soy broth. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising injecting the viability enhancing material into the collection medium during the collecting of the aerosol particles. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the injecting comprises injecting at least one of water, proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, salts, phosphate buffered saline, and tryptic soy broth. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising introducing antioxidant gases into the collection medium. 
     
     
         48 . A bioparticle collection device comprising:
 a collection medium including a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat; and   an osmotic material disposed in contact with the plurality of fibers.   
     
     
         49 . An aerosol collection system comprising:
 an aerosol pumping device configured to entrain particles in an gas stream;   an aerosol saturation device configured to saturate the particles in the gas stream with a biocompatible liquid; and   an aerosol collection medium downstream from the aerosol saturation device and including,   a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat for collection of the saturated aerosol particles, and   an osmotic material disposed in contact with the plurality of fibers.   
     
     
         50 . A method for collecting aerosols, comprising:
 entraining particles in an gas stream;   saturating the particles in the gas stream with a biocompatible liquid; and   collecting the saturated aerosol particles by a collection medium including a plurality of fibers formed into a fiber mat including and an osmotic material disposed in contact with the plurality of fibers.