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Air samplers designed to obtain samples of biological agents that are present in the air, usually in the form of aerosol particles. These devices can capture small (e.g., from 2 to 10 microns) aerosol particles of biopathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and toxins for laboratory analysis. The samplers typically include blowers, which provide a high airflow rate and permit rapid biological sample collection in a short period (e.g., a few minutes), either in indoor or outdoor environments. Both dry systems that use special filters and wet systems that collect the samples in a liquid medium are available; some wet-system samplers include pumps for sample transfer to the detectors. Biological agent samplers are intended to monitor for infectious diseases in clinical wards, workplaces (e.g., mail rooms), and airports; they can also be used to detect biological pathogens in agricultural products and livestock.
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