Comprehensive analysis of microbial population transported by Asian dust events and investigation of their effects on environment and health

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25281030
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental impact assessment
• Research Institution: Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health (2016); Osaka University (2013-2015)
• Principal Investigator: Yamaguchi Nobuyasu 大阪府立公衆衛生研究所, 衛生化学部, 総括研究員 (20252702)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 谷 佳津治 大阪大谷大学, 薬学部, 教授 (50217113) ; 馬場 貴志 鳥取大学, 農学部, 特任准教授 (20423121)
• Research Collaborator: LI Pin-Fang 中国農業大学, 環境資源学部, 教授
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 黄砂 / バイオエアロゾル / 微生物群集構造解析 / 環境影響 / 健康影響

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Aeolian dust particles are known to carry microbes. The effect of wind-borne microbes on public health and ecosystems at various downwind distances from the dust source regions must be clarified, but has not yet been reported and most studies have only investigated the effects during dust seasons. This study monitored and compared the microbial abundance and community composition in outdoor aerosol samples collected in Osaka, Japan and Beijing, China. The Asian dust in Beijing contained bacterial cells 4 times higher than in Osaka. Dominant bacteria in Asian dust collected in Osaka and Beijing were similar, however the bacterial community composition in Asian dust days varied more widely in Beijing than in Osaka. These results indicate that bacteria in Asian dust does not immediately influence indigenous bacterial communities in distant downwind areas, but atmospheric bacterial communities nearer the dust source are more affected by aeolian dust than their distant counterparts.

Free Research Field

環境微生物学