Culturable Airborne Microorganisms in Urban and Coastal Recreation Areas (Southern Baltic Sea)

Microbiological studies of bioaerosols werecarried out in urban and coastal recreation areas in a marine town located in the southern Baltic Sea region. The present study showed that the most abundant culturable airborne microorganisms in bioaerosols were psychrophilic bacteria and fungi. Bacteria, such as Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp. which may also include potentially pathogenic speciesas well as Saccharomyces spp. were relatively rare. Our analyses showed significant spatial variability in the abundance of airborne microorganisms among the sampling sites. Additionally, there were distinct seasonal patterns in the abundance of the different groups of these microorganisms. As a rule, the maximum densities of bacteria, fungi, and Saccharomyces spp. were recorded during the summer, while the minimum occurred in winter. Furthermore, the average abundance of psychrophilic bacteria, mesophilic bacteria, and fungi inbioaerosols was higher in the urban areas compared to the coastal areas. The total number of presumptive Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., and Saccharomyces spp. was similar in both studied areas.