Fibers are found in all environments. However, the impact of their presence on ecosystems and human health is not yet well understood, especially in the case of the atmosphere. In this work, we presented evidence that fibers traveling through the atmosphere act as vectors to spread microorganisms. Here, we investigated the presence of viable microorganisms on fibers collected within and beyond the planetary boundary layer during flights of C-212 aircraft over Central Spain. In total, seven fibers, six of which transported viable microorganisms, were isolated in two flights. The viability of the microorganisms was determined by confocal microscopy by means of the fluorescent probes SYBR-Green to detect microorganisms and CTC redox dye to assess their cellular respiration activity. The fibers that transported viable microorganisms were spectroscopically analyzed by micro-FTIR and identified as wool-silk and cellulose-cotton. Taken together, the results demonstrated that fibers host viable microorganisms when traveling through the lower free troposphere.

中文翻译：

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在行星边界层内外收集的纤维上的活微生物

在所有环境中都可以找到光纤。但是，它们的存在对生态系统和人类健康的影响尚未得到充分了解，尤其是在大气情况下。在这项工作中，我们提供了证据，表明纤维在大气中传播是传播微生物的载体。在这里，我们调查了在C-212飞机在西班牙中部上空飞行期间，在行星边界层内外收集的纤维上存在的活微生物。总共通过两次飞行分离了七种纤维，其中六种运输了活的微生物。通过共聚焦显微镜通过荧光探针SYBR-Green检测微生物和CTC氧化还原染料以评估其细胞呼吸活性，来确定微生物的生存力。通过micro-FTIR对运输活微生物的纤维进行了光谱分析，并鉴定为羊毛丝和纤维素棉。两者合计，结果表明，当纤维通过较低的对流层时，它们会携带有活力的微生物。