Table 2. Main features of Legionella bioaerosols depending on the transporting droplet size distribution.
| |
0–0.262 | 0.262–0.949 | 0.949–1.6 | 1.6–9.92 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Droplet range (μm) | Possibility of cellular fragments entrapped or not in droplets | ||||
| Mode of bacterial transportation | Cellular fragments (entrapped or not) in droplets | Airborne bacteria not entrapped in droplets | Airborne bacteria (entrapped or not) in droplets | Airborne bacteria packaged in droplets | |
| Total Legionella quantification by qPCR | in % of the initial bacterial suspension | 0.2 ± 0.1 | 0.3 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.3 | 14.7 ± 2.1 |
| in % of the total airborne bacteria | 1.1 ± 0.3 | 1.7 ± 0.1 | 3.8 ± 0.4 | 93.4 ± 14.2 | |
| Detection of culturable cells | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Viable cells in CFU | Not detectable | 2 × 104 ± 1.4 × 103 | 4.5 × 104 ± 1.8 × 104 | 1.1 × 106 ± 1.6 × 105 | |
Total Legionella (VC, VBNC, DC) results are expressed as percentages (see Table 1). Viable cells (VC, VBNC) results from three independent experiments are expressed in colony-forming Units (CFU).