The Microbiome of Wildfire: A Scoping Review of Methodology and Insights in Pyroaerobiology

Wildfires are increasing in frequency, intensity, and geographic extent under climate change, yet the biological components of wildfire smoke and subsequent health and environmental implications remain poorly understood. The emerging field of pyroaerobiology seeks to characterize microorganisms mobilized during biomass combustion and their potential health implications. We conducted a scoping review to synthesize current evidence on the air microbiome of wildfire smoke, focusing on microbial taxa detected in wildfire-derived aerosols, spatial and temporal variability, detection and characterization methodology, and reported health and environmental outcomes associated with wildfire bioaerosol exposure. Of 476 records identified, 72 studies met inclusion criteria. Wildfires consistently mobilized microbial assemblages with microbial profiles varying by fuel type, combustion conditions, and atmospheric transport processes. However, the literature is dominated by indirect biomass-burning tracers and microbial tracers as indicators of microbial presence on particulate fractions, with direct microbial characterization remaining limited. Evidence linking wildfire-associated microbes to health or environmental outcomes is sparse and similarly methodologically fragmented, with experimental and epidemiological research suggesting a complex relationship where wildfire smoke both transports pathogenic microbial agents and induces susceptibility through chemical toxicity oxidative stress, and inflammation. Wildfire-derived bioaerosols represent a biologically complex yet understudied component of smoke exposure. As climate-driven wildfire activity accelerates, advancing pyroaerobiology will require integrated chemical-microbiological measurements, improved methodological transparency, and cross-disciplinary convergence to move beyond descriptive detection toward mechanistic and health-relevant insight.

Author dc:creator

• Pert, Allison

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Thawer, Amaan
• Kalisaa, Egide

• wildfire
• microbiome
• detection
• climate change
• bioaerosol

Language dc:language.iso

en_ca

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/39785

OAI record oai:identifier

https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Auwo.scholaris.ca%3A20.500.14721%2F39785