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The role of airborne particles in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is well explored. The novel coronavirus can survive in aerosol for extended periods, and its interaction with other viral communities can cause additional virulence and infectivity. This baseline study reports concentrations of SARS‐CoV‐2, other respiratory viruses, and pathogenic bacteria in the indoor air from three major hospitals (Sheikh Jaber, Mubarak Al‐Kabeer, and Al‐Amiri) in Kuwait dealing with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. The indoor aerosol samples showed 12–99 copies of SARS‐CoV‐2 per m3 of air. Two non‐SARS‐coronavirus (strain HKU1 and NL63), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human bocavirus, human rhinoviruses, Influenza B (FluB), and human enteroviruses were also detected in COVID‐positive areas of Mubarak Al Kabeer hospital (MKH). Pathogenic bacteria such as Mycoplasma pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumonia and, Haemophilus influenza were also found in the hospital aerosols. Our results suggest that the existing interventions such as social distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, surface sanitization, and avoidance of crowded indoor spaces are adequate to prevent the spread of SARS‐CoV‐2 in enclosed areas. However, increased ventilation can significantly reduce the concentration of SARS‐CoV‐2 in indoor aerosols. The synergistic or inhibitory effects of other respiratory pathogens in the spread, severity, and complexity of SARS‐CoV‐2 need further investigation.

Kuwait is a country with a very high dust loading; in fact it bears the world’s highest particulate matter concentration in the outdoor air. The airborne dust often has associated biological materials, including pathogenic microbes that pose a serious risk to the urban ecosystem and public health. This study has established the baseline taxonomic characterization of microbes associated with dust transported into Kuwait from different trajectories. A high volume air sampler with six-stage cascade impactor was deployed for sample collection at a remote as well as an urban site. Samples from three different seasons (autumn, spring and summer) were subjected to targeted amplicon sequencing. A set of ~ 50 and 60 bacterial and fungal genera, respectively, established the core air microbiome. The predominant bacterial genera (relative abundance ≥ 1%) wereBrevundimonas(12.5%),Sphingobium(3.3%),Sphingopyxis(2.7%),Pseudomonas(2.5%),Sphingomonas(2.4%),Massilia(2.3%),Acidovorax(2.0%),Allorhizobium(1.8%),Halomonas(1.3%), andMesorhizobium(1.1%), and the fungal taxa wereCryptococcus(12%) followed byAlternaria(9%),Aspergillus(7%),Candida(3%),Cladosporium(2.9%),Schizophyllum(1.6%),Fusarium(1.4%),Gleotinia(1.3%) andPenicillium(1.15%). Significant spatio-temporal variations were recorded in terms of relative abundances, α-diversities, and β-diversities of bacterial communities. The dissimilarities were less pronounced and instead the communities were fairly homogenous. Linear discrimant analysis revealed three fungal genera known to be significantly differentially abundant with respect to different size fractions of dust. Our results shed light on the spatio-temporal distribution of airborne microbes and their implications in general health.

The main aim of the study was to test for the presence of Legionnaires’ disease-causing microorganisms in air-conditioned buildings in Kuwait using molecular technologies. For this purpose, 547 samples were collected from 38 cooling towers for the analysis of Legionella pneumophila. These samples included those from water (n = 178), air (n = 231), and swabs (n = 138). Out of the 547 samples, 226 (41 %) samples were presumptive positive for L. pneumophila, with L. pneumophila viable counts in the positive water samples ranging from 1 to 88 CFU/ml. Of the Legionella culture-positive samples, 204 isolates were examined by latex agglutination. These isolates were predominately identified as L. pneumophila serogroup (sg) 2–14. Using the Dresden panel of monoclonal antibodies, 74 representatives isolates were further serogrouped. Results showed that 51 % of the isolates belonged to serogroup 7 followed by 1 (18 %) and 3 (18 %). Serogroups 4 (4 %) and 10 (7 %) were isolated at a lower frequency, and two isolates could not be assigned to a serogroup. These results indicate the wide prevalence of L. pneumophila serogroup 7 as the predominant serogroup at the selected sampling sites. Furthermore, the 74 L. pneumophila (sg1 = 13; sg3 = 13; sg4 = 3; sg7 = 38; sg10 = 5; sgX = 2) isolates were genotyped using the seven gene protocol sequence-based typing (SBT) scheme developed by the European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI). The results show that Legionella isolates were discriminated into nine distinct sequence typing (ST) profiles, five of which were new to the SBT database of EWGLI. Additionally, all of the ST1 serogroup 1 isolates were of the OLDA/Oxford subgroup. These baseline data will form the basis for the development of a Legionella environmental surveillance program and used for future epidemiological investigations.