Airborne agent collectors, methods, systems and devices for monitoring airborne agents

Abstract

Air flow systems, devices and methods for monitoring airborne agents include airborne agent collectors. Airborne agent collectors for collecting and detecting the presence and/or identification of an airborne agent(s) include a soluble and hydrophilic polycaprolactone (PCL) that has been treated with a base (e.g., a base having a pH greater than 8 (e.g., NaOH, NaHCO 3 , KOH, Na 2 CO 3 , and CA(OH) 2 ) and in some embodiments, also treated with a neutralizing agent for increasing hydrophilicity. Detection and identification of airborne agents captured by an airborne agent collector can be performed using any suitable analytical protocols. Such protocols are well known in the art, and include nucleic acid assays, protein assays (e.g., mass spectrometry), and bioassays (e.g., in vitro and in vivo assays). The airborne agent collectors can be used for the detection and identification of nucleic acid from cells or organisms of any type (e.g., viruses, bacteria, fungi) in fixed structures (e.g., homes, sports arenas, theaters, buildings such as offices, laboratories, hospitals, schools, airports, train stations, bus stations, etc.) and in mobile, portable devices or machines (e.g., aircraft, automobiles, air-freshener, air-purifier, air re-circulator, vacuum cleaner, etc.).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air flow system comprising at least one airborne agent collector for collecting an airborne agent selected from the group consisting of: pathogen, virus, bacterium, fungus, toxin, and radioactive agent, the at least one airborne agent collector comprising soluble and hydrophilic polycaprolactone (PCL) that has been treated with a base having a pH greater than 8 and a neutralizing agent for increasing hydrophilicity,
 wherein at least a portion of the PCL solubilizes when exposed to an airborne agent extraction reagent.   
     
     
         2 . The air flow system of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one filter for filtering particulate matter, wherein the air flow system is an air filtration system. 
     
     
         3 . The air flow system of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one filter for filtering particulate matter is a membrane filter, an activated carbon filter, a fiberglass filter, or a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. 
     
     
         4 . The air flow system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one airborne agent collector comprises an identifying label. 
     
     
         5 . The air flow system of  claim 1 , wherein the airborne agent is a bacterium selected from the group consisting of:  Bacillus anthracis, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia pestis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Legionella pneumophila, Brucella abortus, Francisella tularensis, Clostridium botulinum , Rickettsial agents of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Q Fever ( Coxiella burnetii ), and genetically engineered or genetically modified bacterium, or a virus selected from the group consisting of: Variola, Rift Valley Fever, Machupo, Ebola, Yellow Fever, Marburg, Hantaan, Dengue Fever, Lassa Fever, Encephalitis and Hemorrhagic Fever viruses, Influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pathogenic corona viruses, and genetically engineered or genetically modified virus. 
     
     
         6 . The air flow system of  claim 1 , wherein the air flow system is disposed within a home, laboratory, medical facility, office, theater, sports arena, airport, train station, bus station, animal housing facility, or manned or unmanned aircraft or automobile. 
     
     
         7 . The air flow system of  claim 1 , wherein the air flow system is disposed within a free-standing and portable device. 
     
     
         8 . The air flow system of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one filter for filtering particulate matter traps particles larger than about 5 microns and the at least one airborne agent collector is an agent collection filter that traps particles larger than about 2 microns. 
     
     
         9 . A method comprising the steps of:
 i) removing at least one airborne agent collector for collecting an airborne agent from an air flow system through which air has flowed, the at least one airborne agent collector comprising soluble and hydrophilic PCL that has been treated with a base having a pH greater than  8  and a neutralizing agent for increasing hydrophilicity, wherein at least a portion of the PCL solubilizes when exposed to an airborne agent extraction reagent; and   ii) subjecting the at least one airborne agent collector or a portion of the at least one airborne agent collector to an analysis for determining the airborne agent's identification or presence.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the airborne agent is an organism and nucleic acid from the organism is to be analyzed, and subjecting the at least one airborne agent collector or a portion of the at least one airborne agent collector to an analysis comprises contacting the at least one airborne agent collector or a portion thereof with at least one nucleic acid extraction reagent under conditions such that the PCL is solubilized or dissolved, resulting in a preparation comprising nucleic acid separated from the at least one airborne agent collector or a portion thereof; and extracting the nucleic acid from the preparation. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising analyzing the extracted nucleic acid. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein about 50% to about 95% of the nucleic acid from the organism is extracted. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the nucleic acid is RNA, genomic DNA, cDNA, or mitochondrial DNA. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the analysis is at least one selected from the group consisting of: PCR-based assays, nucleic acid sequencing, protein expression assays, immunoassays, mass spectrometry, in vivo or in vitro bioassays, chemical analyses, ATP assays, microarray analyses, scintillation counting, and use of a Geiger counter. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the airborne agent is a bacterium selected from the group consisting of:  Bacillus anthracis, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia pestis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Legionella pneumophila, Brucella abortus, Francisella tularensis, Clostridium botulinum , Rickettsial agents of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Q Fever ( Coxiella burnetii ), and genetically engineered or genetically modified bacterium, or a virus selected from the group consisting of: Variola, Rift Valley Fever, Machupo, Ebola, Yellow Fever, Marburg, Hantaan, Dengue Fever, Lassa Fever, Encephalitis and Hemorrhagic Fever viruses, Influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pathogenic corona viruses, and genetically engineered or genetically modified virus. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising replacing the removed at least one airborne agent collector with at least one replacement airborne agent collector. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the air flow system is disposed within a home, laboratory, medical facility, office, theater, sports arena, airport, train station, bus station, animal housing facility, or manned or unmanned aircraft or automobile. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the air flow system is disposed within a free-standing and portable device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the airborne agent is an organism and nucleic acid from the organism is to be analyzed and step ii) comprises generating a preparation comprising a nucleic acid, and analyzing the nucleic acid from the preparation. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the airborne agent is a bacterium selected from the group consisting of:  Bacillus anthracis, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia pestis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Legionella pneumophila, Brucella abortus, Francisella tularensis, Clostridium botulinum , Rickettsial agents of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Q Fever ( Coxiella burnetii ), and genetically engineered or genetically modified bacterium, or a virus selected from the group consisting of: Variola, Rift Valley Fever, Machupo, Ebola, Yellow Fever, Marburg, Hantaan, Dengue Fever, Lassa Fever, Encephalitis and Hemorrhagic Fever viruses, Influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pathogenic corona viruses, and genetically engineered or genetically modified virus. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the air flow system comprises an air filtration system, and the airborne agent collector is an agent collection filter that traps particles larger than about 2 microns.