ABSTRACT
The airborne bioflora is inherently complex and variable to a point that defies quantification. The majority of biological particles found in interior situations come from the outdoor environment. Materials that are shed and accumulate indoors include particulates such as human and animal skin scales, bacteria and dermatophytes shed from animate surfaces, and insect and arachnid fragments. Indoor surface contamination by bacteria, fungi, insects, arachnids or other biological particles is dangerous for the most part only when the particles become airborne and are inhaled. Several factors can cause aerosolization of surface microorganisms. Practically any human or pet activity can increase airborne microbial loads. There is no single method of choice for sampling airborne microbial particles. There are three major sampling modalities: viable particle sampling, particulate sampling with visual assessment, and immunological sampling. Maintaining a dust-free environment is necessary for keeping airborne microorganisms at a minimum even with top quality air filtration.
