Building collaborations in pathogen air sampling

The critical importance of pathogen air sampling as a tool in surveillance and research to protect us against airborne threats was the key lesson of a symposium on advances in pathogen air sampling science, hosted by Burnet Institute. 

The event – Pathogen Air Sampling Symposium: Building Knowledge and Collaboration – brought together a broad range of distinguished experts from across Australia and New Zealand for a program covering research, public health applications, and technical methodologies.

Pathogen air sampling relates to devices used to collect and analyse airborne micro-organisms including viruses, bacteria and fungi for purposes such as infection control, environmental monitoring and research.

Organised in collaboration with HeIDI, CSIRO and AIID, the symposium demonstrated significant interest in this evolving field while identifying key opportunities and challenges ahead.

“Our speakers articulated three critical roles for pathogen air sampling: understanding transmission dynamics, surveillance in high-risk environments, and evaluating intervention effectiveness,” Symposium Chair, Burnet Chief Health Officer – COVID and Health Emergencies, Associate Professor Suman Majumdar, said.

“The symposium reinforced the tremendous potential for air sampling applications, particularly in healthcare settings, while highlighting the importance of sharing standardised methodologies across the research community.

“The discussions fostered valuable collaboration between researchers and practitioners, creating pathways for knowledge exchange and methodological advancement in this rapidly developing field.”

Thanks to all the speakers for their valuable contributions to the program:

• Distinguished Prof Lidia Morawska - The zoo of airborne pathogens and how we've managed it
• Prof Helen Cox - Public health and research in the context of pathogen air sampling
• Prof Emmanuel Andre - Methods and applications of pathogen air sampling
• A/Prof Krispin Hajkowicz - Overview of air sampling analysis and interpretation
• Prof Raina McIntyre - Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol samples in high acuity hospital settings
• Prof Anton Peleg - The role of bioaerosols in transmitting pathogens and antimicrobial resistance
• A/Prof Simon Joosten - Air sampling methodologies using a live virus model of aerosol transmission
• Dr Melita Keywood - Air sampling for air pollution investigations
• Dr Rahul Rane - TRACE: Next-Gen Ultra-Sensitive, Scalable Environmental DNA Surveillance

Find out more about Burnet’s project – Pathway to Clean Indoor Air in Victoria.