Aerobiology is the study of airborne particles that have an impact on humans and other organisms. Every day, we are exposed to airborne particles, including "natural" particles such as pollen, bacteria, and fungi, and "unnatural" particles, such as asbestos fibers and noxious chemicals. Aerobiology highlights the current interests in this field, primarily the ecology and distribution of airborne particles and their effects on health.

For microbiology and environmental microbiology courses, this leading textbook builds on the academic success of the previous edition by including a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of environmental microbiology as a discipline that has grown in scope and interest in recent years. From environmental science and microbial ecology to topics in molecular genetics, this edition relates environmental microbiology to the work of a variety of life science, ecology, and environmental science investigators. The authors and editors have taken the care to highlight links between environmental microbiology and topics important to our changing world such as bioterrorism and national security with sections on practical issues such as bioremediation, waterborne pathogens, microbial risk assessment, and environmental biotechnology.WHY ADOPT THIS EDITION? New chapters on: - Urban Environmental Microbiology - Bacterial Communities in Natural Ecosystems - Global Change and Microbial Infectious Disease - Microorganisms and Bioterrorism - Extreme Environments (emphasizing the ecology of these environments) - Aquatic Environments (now devoted to its own chapter- was combined with Extreme Environments) Updates to Methodologies: - Nucleic Acid -Based Methods: microarrays, phyloarrays, real-time PCR, metagomics, and comparative genomics - Physiological Methods: stable isotope fingerprinting and functional genomics and proteomics-based approaches - Microscopic Techniques: FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization) and atomic force microscopy - Cultural Methods: new approaches to enhanced cultivation of environmental bacteria - Environmental Sample Collection and Processing: added section on air sampling

"The book presents a compendium of knowledge on general environment and acrobiology having 29 research articles classified under five sections, i.e., General Aerobiology having five papers, Aeropalynology having four papers, Aeromycology having seven papers, Epidemiology and Forecast having six papers and Allergy and Immunology having seven papers. These articles have been contributed by over 50 research workers."

This book focusses on the toxicological aspects of aerobiology, considering the adverse health effects associated with the inhalation of airborne biological particulates.

Aerobiology is the science that studies the biological component of the atmosphere and its effects on living systems and on the environment. This term was used for the first time in 1935, but the attention of scientists to the biological component of the atmosphere goes back to 1769, when the Italian biologist Spallanzani carried out a series of experiments that disproved the concept of spontaneous generation of life and proved the presence of viable microorganisms in the air. Aerobiology has marked characteristics of interdisciplinarity: its application fields range from respiratory diseases to the airborne outbreak of animal and vegetal diseases and to the biodegradation of substances and materials. The latter is the subject of this book. The purpose of aerobiological research applied to the conservation of cultural heritage is to evaluate the risk of alteration by airborne microorganisms of materials forming artefacts of historical, artistic and archaeological interest. Airborne spores and vegetative structures may develop on different substrates and may be a cause of degradation, in relation to the types of materials, the microclimatic situation and the pollution of the conservation environments. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the biological component of air, performed by means of targeted analysis campaigns, and of the characteristics of materials and environments, supplies indispensable information for the evaluation of the actual risk and the planning of interventions. This book is divided into four main parts.

Palynology finds applications in various fields. Some of them are taxonomy, plant evolution, plant breeding programmes, biotechnology, microbiology of water, soil and air, the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry, energy food industry, forensic science, aerobiology, allergy, epidemiology, meteorology, fossil fuel exploration and biodiversity.

This is the first book to summarize all aspects of allergenic pollen: production, atmospheric distribution, and health impacts, as well as the means of monitoring and forecasting these phenomena. Based on a four-year effort by a large group of leading European scientists, this book highlights the new developments in research on allergenic pollen, including the modelling prospects and effects of climate change. The multidisciplinary team of authors offers insights into the latest technology of detection of pollen and its allergenic properties, forecasting methods, and the influence of allergenic pollen on the population. The comprehensive coverage in this book makes it an indispensible volume for anyone dealing with allergenic pollen worldwide. Readers involved in environmental health, aerobiology, medicine, and plant science will find this book of interest.

The most definitive manual of microbes in air, water, and soil and their impact on human health and welfare. • Incorporates a summary of the latest methodology used to study the activity and fate of microorganisms in various environments. • Synthesizes the latest information on the assessment of microbial presence and microbial activity in natural and artificial environments. • Features a section on biotransformation and biodegradation. • Serves as an indispensable reference for environmental microbiologists, microbial ecologists, and environmental engineers, as well as those interested in human diseases, water and wastewater treatment, and biotechnology.

M icroorganisms are ubiquitous in nature; they inhabit soil, water, plant, and animals and sustain their lives on variety of available energy sources. When the growth conditions of these microorganisms in reservoir are favourable, they amplified and disseminated from their habitats to other places. The release of these microorganisms from these reservoirs is either active (self) or passive (environmental factors) in nature. Aerosols formed when the particles of dusts, sprays, mists, smokes and fumes dispersed in gas. When, these organisms as a whole or its parts dispersed in air, known as a primary biological aerosol particles or bioaerosols. The organisms in bioaerosols may be saprophyte, opportunistic or primary pathogens in nature; comprises the agents such as viruses, bacteria, actinomycetes, fungal spores, algae, plant cells, insects, mites, and their fragments, endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria, mycotoxins and glucans from fungi.