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Makara J. Sci. 17/3 (2013), In Press doi: 10.7454/mss.v17i3 Isolation and Identification of Airborne Bacteria Inside Swiftlet Houses in Sarawak, Malaysia Leong Sui Sien 1*, Chia Hwa Chuan 1, Samuel Lihan 1, and Ling Teck Yee 2 1. Department of Molecular Microbiology, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia 2. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia *e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Air consists of such microorganisms as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Exposure to these airborne bacteria indoors may cause infectious and noninfectious adverse health effects. However, the sources and origins of bacteria are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the bacteria present in the air inside swiftlet houses located in Kota Samarahan, Saratok, Betong, Maludam, Miri, Kuching, Semarang, Sepinang, Sarikei, and Sibu in Sarawak, Malaysia. A total of 100 bacterial isolates from 20 samples were collected from swiftlet houses. The bacteria present in the air were collected using Plate Count Agar. Two plates were exposed at the front and back inside swiftlet houses for 15 sec and then incubated at 37 ± 1 oC for 24 h. The 16S rRNA analysis method was used to identify the isolates from the samples. The air inside the swiftlet houses had a total mean airborne bacteria colony count of 2.02 ± 0.72 log 10 2 2 cfu/m /sec; the highest was in Miri (3.08 ± 0.29 log 10 cfu/m /sec), and the lowest was in Sibu (1.05 ± 0.85 log 10 cfu/m 2/sec). Twenty-seven bacteria species were identified, and Lysinibacillus sp. B4 (16%) was most frequently isolated. Abstrak Isolasi dan Identifikasi Bakteri yang terdapat di Udara dalam Rumah Walet di Sarawak, Malaysia. Udara mengandung mikroorganisme seperti bakteri, jamur , dan virus. Paparan bakteri di udara dapat menyebabkan efek kesehatan yang merugikan. Namun, sumber dan asal bakteri tidak sepenuhnya dipahami. Tujuan dari penelitian adalah mengisolasi dan mengidentifikasi bakteri yang terdapat di udara di dalam rumah-rumah walet yang terletak di Kota Samarahan, Saratok, Betong, Maludam, Miri, Kuching, Semarang, Sepinang, Sarikei dan Sibu di Sarawak, Malaysia. Sebanyak 100 isolat bakteri dari 20 sampel diperoleh dari rumah-rumah walet. Bakteri diisolasi menggunakan medium Plate Count Agar. Sebanyak dua cawan petri dibuka di bagian depan dan belakang dalam rumah walet selama 15 detik, dan diinkubasi pada suhu 37±1 oC selama 24 jam. Sequencing DNA gen 16S rRNA dilakukan untuk mengidentifikasi 2 bakteri dari sampel. Udara di dalam rumah walet memiliki total rata-rata jumlah koloni 2.02±0.72 log 10 cfu/m /detik 2 dan CFU tertinggi diperoleh dari Miri (3.08 ± 0.29 log 10 cfu/m /detik) dan terendah di Sibu (1.05 ± 0.85 log 10 cfu/m 2/detik). Terdapat 27 species bakteri dari udara dalam ruangan di rumah walet, dan Lysinibacillus sp. (16%) paling banyak ditemukan. Keywords: Swiftlet house, Air samples, Bacteria, Identification, 16S rRNA gene 1. Introduction especially humans. Pathogenic microbes can be transmitted through air, skin, food, water, and other Air consists of tiny organisms such as bacteria, fungi, interpersonal contact [2]. Researchers have reported that mycotoxins, and viruses. These small groups of exposure to pathogenic microbes may cause respiratory organisms clump and survive in the air under high disorders, infections, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and humidity [1]. Microorganisms are ubiquitous and can be toxic reaction in infected humans [3]. Bacterial infection transferred from the environment to everyday objects has been receiving increased attention in recent years 104 December 2013 | Vol. 17 | No. 3 Isolation and Identification of Airborne Bacteria Inside Swiftlet 105 due to the increase in mortality and morbidity [4]. minor modifications. The bacterial cultures were Swiftlet farming is defined as a modern and prepared by growing the bacteria in Luria broth commercialized method of building birds’ nests (Scharlau, Spain) at 37 ± 1 °C for 24 h. One thousand differently from the traditional cave-harvesting method. and five hundred microliters of overnight culture was Malaysia is the third largest producer of edible birds’ transferred into a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube and nests in the world, after Indonesia and Thailand [5]. An centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 5 min. Then the estimated 30,000 shop houses and commercial premises supernatant was discarded. Five hundred microliters of had been converted into swiftlet farms by June 2005 sterile distilled water was added and vortexed to throughout Malaysia, especially northern Malaysia [6]. resuspend the cell pellet. The content of the Researchers have reported that indoor air is mostly full microcentrifuge tubes was then boiled for 10 min of bacteria [4]. No research related to airborne bacteria together with the tubes, and then the tubes were inside swiftlet houses has been conducted. There are immediately placed on ice for 5 min. After 5 min, the many methods for collecting airborne bacteria such as microcentrifuge tubes were centrifuged at 10,000 rpm collection plates, electrostatic collectors and impactors, for 10 min, and the supernatant was collected. and mass spectrometers, which are suitable for research purposes [7]. More research should be done on airborne Polymerase chain reaction of the 16S rRNA gene. bacteria that may pose health risks to humans. The genotypes of the bacterial isolates were Therefore, this study was conducted to isolate and characterized using gene 16S rRNA identification identify the bacteria present in the air inside swiftlet method with minor modification [14]. Primers 27F (5'- houses. AGAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAG-3') and 519R (5’- GWATTACCGCGGCKGCTG-3’) were used to 2. Methods amplify the 16S rRNA gene [15-16]. The PCR reactions were performed in reaction mixtures containing 20 µl Description of the study area. The sampling site areas DNA, 1.0 µl each 20 pmol primers (First Base, were swiftlet houses located in Kota Samarahan, Malaysia), 3 µl of 10 mM deoxynucleoside Saratok, Betong, Maludam, Miri, Kuching, Semarang, triphosphates mix (Promega, USA), 6.0 µl of 25 mM Sepinang, Sarikei, and Sibu in Sarawak, Malaysia. MgCl 2 (Promega, USA), 10.0 µl of 5X Buffer solution (Promega, USA), 8.0 µl of distilled water, and 1 µl of Sample collection. Sampling and sample processing Taq polymerase (Promega, USA). PCR was performed procedures for isolating airborne bacteria were carried as follows: initial denaturation at 95 °C for 10 min, out according to Malaysia Veterinary Health Air quality denaturation at 94 °C for 30 sec, annealing at 55 °C for sampling [8]. Two Plate Count Agar plates (Oxoid, 1 min, primer extension 72 °C for 1.5 min with 35 England) used to collect the airborne bacteria were cycles and final extension at 72 °C for 10 min. The PCR placed at the front and back of each sampling site. The products were visualized with ethidium bromide medium of the Plate Count Agar was exposed in the air staining after 1% agarose gel electrophoresis for 30 min for 15 sec. Then the cap of the agar plate was re-joined, at 90 V. sealed, and labeled. The agar plates were incubated at 37 ± 1 oC for 24 h. The airborne bacteria colony was Sequencing analysis. The bacteria DNA was purified counted according to Nyakundi and Mwangi (2011) and using the Qiagen sequencing purification kit (QIAquick Tsai et al . (2002) [9-10]. The bacterial colonies formed Gel Extraction Kit, USA). The purified DNA product on the medium were reported as the number of colony- was sent to First Base Laboratories Sdn. Bhd. in 2 Selangor, Malaysia, for the DNA sequencing process. forming units (log 10 cfu/m /sec) [11]. Colonies were randomly picked for further identification. All 16S rRNA sequences were compared using the BLAST program to determine the closest identity Conventional biochemical tests. The bacteria isolated matches. from the air samples were identified phenotypically using conventional biochemical tests according to Statistical analysis. Statistical analysis of the data was Bergey’s manual [12], involving Gram staining, the conducted using the SPSS Statistics version 21.0 urease test, hydrogen sulfide test, motility test, indole program. All data was analyzed for analysis of variance (tryptone broth) test, lactose fermentation test, Simmons (ANOVA). All differences between the means were citrate test, starch hydrolysis test, carbohydrates compared using the Tukey multiple range test after a fermentation test, methyl red-Voges-Proskauer test, significant F-test at P < 0.05. bile-esculin test, oxidase test, catalase test, hemolysis test, and lysine decarboxylase test. 3. Results and Discussion DNA extraction . After the bacterial genera were Bacterial colony count. The mean total of the airborne detected, bacterial DNA was extracted using the boiling viable bacteria counts inside the swiftlet houses is method as described by Maria et al. (2008) [13] with shown in Table 1. The table shows that the interior of Makara J. Sci. December 2013 | Vol. 17 | No. 3 106 Sien, et al. the swiftlet houses had a total mean airborne bacteria Sarawak, which has higher temperatures than the 2 colony count of 2.02 ± 0.72 log 10 cfu/m /sec. The mean southern and central Sarawak regions [17]. Temperature airborne bacteria count was highest in Miri (3.08 ± 0.29 can affect the growth rate of various bacterial species 2 log 10 cfu/m /sec) and lowest in Sibu (1.05 ± 0.85 log 10 [18]. According to Chan et al. (2005) [18], the growth cfu/m 2/sec). The mean total bacterial colony counts rate of microorganisms doubled as the temperature collected from Miri were significantly (P < 0.05) higher increased. Airborne bacteria count could be a standard than those collected from Sibu. for determining the hygiene levels and housing regulations [19].