Biological Monitoring in Environment

The Importance of Biomonitoring

Stand-alone field and laboratory equipment apply to air sampling and liquid sample concentration offering the best solutions available for trace detection of threat organisms using rapid molecular methods.

Routine indoor air monitoring in key locations of gathering such as schools, nursing homes, clinics, and offices provides an early warning of potential exposure to a transmittable infection and allows time to mitigate further infections when a group of individuals may have been exposed.

Highly suited for:

  • Military Applications
  • Outbreak Investigations
  • Government Laboratories
  • Mobile Laboratories
  • Public Health (Hospitals and clinics)
  • Close-quarter living facilities such as; Military barracks, Cruise ships or other vessels, Senior living centers, Prisons, Schools
  • Close-quarter living facilities such as; Military barracks, Cruise ships or other vessels, Senior living centers, Prisons, Schools

Proactive monitoring provides an increased understanding of:

  • Current state of contamination in the facility
  • Effectiveness, limits or gaps of environmental controls such as change air techniques
  • Effectiveness, limits or gaps of cleaning and disinfection procedures
  • Infection risk associated with staffing locations, functions, and available PPE
  • Determining when to implement social distancing or other measures

Biomonitoring tools for air

Traditional methods for aerosol and surface monitoring for bacteria and viruses are negatively affected by limited collection volumes, poor sample recovery, and complex and difficult to perform recovery processes.

Environmental monitoring describes the processes and activities that need to take place to characterise and monitor the quality of the environment and the impact of human activities on the planet. This includes monitoring pollution; recycling & waste disposal; air & water quality and aquatic life.

  • SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens at previously undetectable levels. Air samplers are used to collect samples of airborne pathogens, which can then be analyzed using qPCR. The types of pathogens that need to be checked for public safety depend on the specific situation and the environment being monitored. For example, in the case of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 is the pathogen that needs to be detected2.
  • Protect livestock health and minimize operational losses due to airborne diseases by detecting pathogens in the air as soon as they arrive. InnovaPrep’s AirPrep Cub Sampler allows you to collect and rapidly prepare samples for analysis so that you can take proactive steps to avert an outbreak.

 

The Bobcat is a light-weight, portable, dry filter air sampler with a unique rapid filter elution kit. It is ideally suited for the collection of micron- and submicron-sized particles, including viruses, bacteria, pollen, molds and fungal spores, as well as non-biological particles from 0.01um to 10um+. Perfectly suited for use with rapid molecular analytical methods.

InnovaPrep engineers have developed a new, compact model of the Bobcat Air Sampler trusted by researchers and US military since 2012.

Using the same 360° aerosol inlet design and rapid filter elution kit, the AirPrep Cub Sampler is just as efficient for the collection and recovery of bioaerosols and particulates from 0.01 microns to 10+microns.

The AirPrep Cub was developed for animal disease monitoring, fitting even in dirty livestock environments whether outdoors, in barns, stables, or transport vehicles.

Collects viruses and bacteria from 0.01 microns to 10 microns
Easy-to-use
Portable, and rugged
Operates in low and high temperatures
Battery-powered for up to 8 hours

Pairs with any molecular analysis method including PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS)

Sample recovery from the Air Sampler filter takes just seconds and results in a concentrated liquid sample that is ready for sample analysis using PCR or other molecular methods including sequencing.

MESLO offers a wide range of qPCR kits for detecting multiple targets, including COVID-19 and other bacterial or viral diseases:

  • SARS-CoV-2: The virus responsible for COVID-19
  • Influenza viruses: These viruses can cause seasonal flu outbreaks
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis: The bacterium responsible for tuberculosis
  • Legionella pneumophila: The bacterium responsible for Legionnaires’ disease
  • Aspergillus fumigatus: A fungus that can cause respiratory infections in immunocompromised individuals
  • And more..

Environmental Monitoring

SPEX offers a broad range of products to prepare a variety of matrices for downstream analysis by techniques such as XRF, ICP, Radionuclides, LC & GC-MS

  • Mixer/Mills® – High-Energy Ball, Dual High-Energy Ball Mill Dual clamp, high-energy ball mill that grinds up to 10 grams of sample in each clamp, and the Efficient, compact laboratory mill.
  • HG-600 Geno/Grinder® 2010 – Tissue Homogenizer and Cell Lyser
  • A Range of Freezer/Mill® Cryogenic Grinder; a small cryogenic mill that grinds
  • BM-600 Planetary Mill; The Cole-Parmer BM-600 Planetary Mill grinds samples with a mechanical motion, rotating the jar in one direction while the platform (sun wheel) is rotated in the opposite direction. Size reduction, nanomilling, powder blending, emulsion, and slurry grinding in rocks, minerals, sand, cement, slag, ceramics, glass, and pharmaceuticals.

Rapid on-site legionella test

Genomadix™’s test quantifies the amount of Legionella in a water source in just 45 minutes so you can detect contamination in real-time.

Detects all sero groups of Legionella pneumophila (serogroups 1-15)

  • Designed to meet the intent of ISO 12869**
  • Analytical specificity of > 99%

Additionally;

  • DNA testing platform applied to the environmental sector.
  • ASHRAE Guideline 12:2020 updated to include PCR and on-site test methods.
  • Cooling Technology Institute (CTI) GDL 159 updated to include on-site, rapid, PCR testing methods.
  • Used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in outbreak investigations.
  • qPCR technology quantifies amount of Legionella pneumophila in approximately 45 minutes.
  • Water samples include cooling towers, humidifiers, domestic hot water, and decorative fountains.
  • Designed to meet the intent of ISO/TS 12869:2019.
  • The Cube requires no maintenance or calibration.
  • No technical training required.

Culture testing underestimates Legionella by an average of 17-fold2 and 77% of samples degrade during shipping to the lab.3 Genomadix’s test solves these problems by enabling on-site testing with molecular-based technology. Genomadix’s test uses proprietary technology to preferentially detect live and intact (pathogenic), and not dead and degraded (non-pathogenic) Legionella bacteria.

Fast and accurate results mean your team can immediately treat Legionella contamination before it grows to outbreak levels. This can help minimize outbreaks and avoid negative publicity.

QPCR for biomonitoring

Youseq’s range of qPCR detection kits include singleplex and multiplex Kits. qPCR is the fastest and most precise method to identify and quantify pathogens. The YouSeq kit contains all components necessary for easy, accurate detection on any qPCR platform.

qPCR fits for Agriculture

  • Aspergillus flavus
  • Aspergillus niger
  • Aspergillus SPP
  • Aspergillus terreus
  • Aspergillus versicolor
  • Avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBV)
  • Bacillus subtilis
  • Histoplasma capsulatum
  • Hop Latent Viroid
  • Psilocybe cubensis
  • Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
  • Sugarcane mosaic virus

Biomonitoring tools for wastewater

The InnovaPrep Concentrating Pipette (CP) Select™

Wastewater is a means to detect the emergence or spread of COVID-19 outbreaks and it could prove to be a significant epidemiological method to help Public Health officials help determine the degree and duration of intervention needed in a community by community real-time approach. Bridging the gap between relevant sample volumes and the volumetric capacity of rapid molecular methods is needed in order to adequately monitor SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater.

Dead-end filtration on high-flow single-use pipette tips to capture target particles. The CP Select uses an automated recovery process, termed, Wet Foam Elution™ to enable efficient extraction of the particles from the filter membrane in seconds and can administer very precise and controlled amounts of foam that produce filter elution volumes as low as 200 micro liters. The process maximizes concentration of the target thereby exponentially improving the limit of detection for trace pathogens.

InnovaPrep technologies have been used to concentrate microorganisms including viruses suspended in liquid with the CP Select for several years from a variety of environmental sources such as marine recreational and aquaculture waters, surface waters, storm run-off, cave, and spring waters, irrigation waters, as well as wastewater influent and effluent. The Concentrating Pipette pairs perfectly with most molecular methods.

  • Innovaprep Concentrating Pipette – Fast, easy, microparticle concentration and delivers up to 10,000x concentration in minutes. Perfect for viruses, bacteria, and molds. Pairs well with culture, PCR, & NGS methods and fits in a biosafety cabinet
  • High-flow Pipette Filter Tips have a surface area of 98cm2 for robust filtration and are available in four pore sizes including: 0.45 µm / 0.2 µm / 0.05 µm / Ultrafilter
  • FluidPrep Prefilter Our prefilter cartridges attach to the filtered pipette tips for simultaneous prefiltering and sample concentration. Reduces processing time, sample handling, and inhibitors for difficult sample matrices such as raw wastewater.
  • Large Volume Concentration Kit The LVC Kit is a single use kit for concentrating waterborne pathogens from 5 to 100 liters or more. It includes an 2.5 m2 Ultrafilter, tube kit and elution buffer. Uses available flow or your own pump & elutes into a 50 mL final sample in seconds.

Palintest biomonitoring tools for wastewater

Lumiso Expert for Wastewater

The Palintest Lumiso Expert is a robust multi-parameter photometer with an extensive range of testing parameters. For users operating in water maintenance industries, such as drinking water and wastewater who need to perform water analysis testing in-situ or in laboratory environments, across frequent and less frequently used parameters.

With an intuitive and accessible touchscreen navigation, which also works with wet and gloved hands, and simple to follow onscreen instructions, the Lumiso Expert can be used with little to no prior training. It’s robust IP67 waterproof design and construction ensures it can be used in situ in any environment. Lumiso Expert also benefits from easy results retrieval and data traceability for audit compliance purposes.

  • Turbidity in Wastewater
  • Ammonia in Wastewater

Wastewater monitoring is also important to ensure contaminants aquatic life is protected from harmful chemicals. Wastewater monitoring can require testing of many different parameters, some are routine, and some are troubleshooting parameters which do not require as frequent testing. Palintest’s Lumiso Expert offers over 75 tests including all the key chemical parameters required for monitoring drinking and wastewater.

Turbidity is one of the most common measurements used in qualitative assessment of water suitability. Turbidity data is useful in wastewater and environmental monitoring.

Measurement at all stages of treatment processes but the use of Total Suspended Solids is of more importance here. Surface water monitoring (streams, rivers, lakes, oceans) is also of importance due to the effects of turbidity on aquatic ecosystems. Levels of turbidity are very difficult to quantify due to the extremely variable nature of samples and processes e.g. the Blue Nile annually varies from several thousand NTU down to 6 NTU.

Ammonia is a chemical parameter which is especially important in wastewater processing and treatment. Ammonia concentration can reach extremely high levels in wastewater due to digestion of nitrogen-containing organic waste. When released into the environment, high levels of ammonia are toxic to aquatic life due to a process known as eutrophication. This is where high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphates and other parameters can lead to high levels of aquatic plant growth and algal blooms which cover the surface of the water, block sunlight and use up all the dissolved oxygen. This means aquatic life can no longer survive.

Therefore, the removal of ammonia has become a legal requirement and part of the process for the treatment of wastewater and sewage. The Lumiso Expert photometer offers multiple different reagents and measuring ranges for ammonia testing to ensure there is a test suitable for all users.

Biomonitoring tools for surfaces

Our collection kit is one of the best adapted kits to detect the coronavirus meeting the recommendations for COVID-19 specimen collection & handling: the virus inactivation due to the effect of the transport solution on the virus envelop and the preservation of the viral RNA due to the non effect on the viral capsid and a stable pH ensures ideal protection of nucleic acids.

The stored samples can be used in subsequent molecular experiments such as DNA/RNA extraction, qPCR testing or sequencing.