A Direct DNA Extraction Workflow for Metabarcoding Fungal Bioaerosols From Adhesive Samplers.

An optimized DNA extraction method enables culture-independent metabarcoding of fungal bioaerosols collected on adhesive films, revealing diverse and site-specific fungal communities.

• Why it matters: Current culture-based methods underestimate fungal diversity, limiting understanding of bioaerosol impacts on health and agriculture, and hindering large-scale environmental monitoring.
• What they did: The researchers developed and validated a direct DNA extraction protocol for adhesive films, allowing ITS2-based metabarcoding from samples collected on a 96-well plate sealing film, and applied it to field samples from farms and gardens.
• The result: The approach uncovered significant spatial and seasonal variations in fungal communities, demonstrating its potential as a scalable, cost-effective tool for environmental bioaerosol surveillance and ecological studies.