Evaluation of Field Sampling Techniques for Environmental Microbial Exposure: Assessing Efficacy and Feasibility

Environmental exposures in schools, including microbial exposures, can lead to detrimental childhood health outcomes. We evaluated two sampling techniques - standard flocked swabs versus sterile electrostatic cloths - to quantify Staphylococcus bacterial burden from school surfaces. Electrostatic cl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inbioRxiv
Main Authors Dalton, Kathryn R, Spicer, Kristoffer, Ludwig, Shanna, Clemons-Erby, Dorothy, Green, Timothy, Rule, Ana M, Koehler, Kirsten, Mccormack, Meredith C, Davis, Meghan F
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 15.06.2020
Subjects
Children
Sampling
Sampling techniques
Sensitivity analysis
Standardization
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Summary:Environmental exposures in schools, including microbial exposures, can lead to detrimental childhood health outcomes. We evaluated two sampling techniques - standard flocked swabs versus sterile electrostatic cloths - to quantify Staphylococcus bacterial burden from school surfaces. Electrostatic cloths demonstrated higher test sensitivity and yielded higher surface area-standardized colony forming units compared to swabs. Despite protocol standardization, consistently larger surface areas were sampled with electrostatic cloths. This suggest that electrostatic cloths were more effective and practical for fieldwork. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
DOI:10.1101/2020.06.14.150722