PERSONAL MONITORING OF EXPOSURE TO GENETICALLY-MODIFIED MICROORGANISMS IN BIOAEROSOLS - RAPID AND SENSITIVE DETECTION USING PCR

E. coli XL1-B cells, genetically modified to contain the gene for the commerically important food-processing enzyme, bovine chymosin, were a erosolised in growth media to simulate a breach of containment. Aeroso ls were generated in a well-characterised bioaerosol test chamber, and sampled using two commonly employed workplace aerosol samplers-the Cy clone static ''area'' sampler, and the IOM Personal Inspirable Aerosol Sampler. PCR-based detection procedures were developed for the specif ic, sensitive, and rapid, detection and discrimination of both capture d aerosolised genetically modified and unmodified E. coli cells. The I OM personal sampler proved to be more useful than the cyclone sampler for aerosol capture and subsequent analysis using the PCR procedure. I t allowed an apparent lower limit of detection of an aerosol containin g 1.7 x 10(4) cells m(-3), with results being obtained within 4-5 h af ter sample collection. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.