Novel Technology Assess the Bacteria Survival in Aerosol Droplets from Coughs, Sneezes

New study directly examines the environmental factors impact on the survival of bacteria in aerosol droplets from coughs, sneezes.

New research studies the impact of environmental factors on the viability and infectivity of pathogens in aerosol droplets. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of The Royal Society Interface.

The airborne //transmission of diseases including the common cold, influenza, and tuberculosis is something that affects everyone with an average sneeze or a cough sending around 100,000 contagious germs into the air at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Cough - Symptom Evaluation - Frequently Asked Questions
Cough is a symptom of a condition usually affecting the respiratory tract. It may be acute or chronic, wet or dry. The type of cough can help the physician diagnose the underlying condition.

‘New technique examines directly the environmental factors that control the transmission of disease to the level of a single aerosol particle and a single bacterium. This technique improves our understanding of the transmission of many airborne diseases including tuberculosis, the influenza virus, and foot and mouth disease. ’

Aerosol droplets are a typical route for the transport of pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, and the airborne transmission of disease.

The impact of environmental factors (such as relative humidity, temperature, atmospheric oxidants and the presence of light) on the viability and infectivity of pathogens in aerosol droplets remains poorly understood.

For example, although the seasonal variation in influenza cases is known, the environmental factors determining the differences in airborne transmission of the virus is not well understood.

Whooping Cough / Pertussis - Causes - Symptoms - Diagnosis - Treatment - Prevention
Whooping cough is a respiratory tract infection caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. DPT vaccine helps to prevent the infection.

To help understand this process better, scientists have established a novel approach for forming aerosol droplets containing a specific number of bacteria, trapping a cloud of these droplets of the exact known population and simulating their environmental exposure over time from five seconds to several days.

The aerosol droplets are then gently sampled onto a surface to determine how many bacteria have survived their time in the aerosol phase.

Common Cold
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about Common Cold

The study reports on the benchmarking of this new approach, demonstrating the many advantages over conventional techniques, which include introducing large populations of droplets to large rotating drums or capturing droplets on spiders' webs.

Not only can measurements be made down to the single bacterium/single droplet level requiring very little quantity of aerosol (picolitres), but high time resolution (one second) measurements of viability can be made, allowing the first quantitative studies of the influence of dynamic factors transforming the aerosol (for example evaporation, condensation) on viability.

Ways to Boost Your Immune System during Cold and Flu Season
Your immune system has to be strong to fight the bacteria and viruses that enter the body and cause illness particularly during the cold and flu season. Learn how to boost your immunity by following these simple tips and home remedies.

For example, the study shows that during evaporation of droplets, the concentration of typical salts can rise way beyond their solubility limit, placing considerable osmotic stress on the bacteria and reducing viability.

Lead author, Professor Jonathan Reid from the University of Bristol's School of Chemistry, said: "This new technique offers the eventual prospect of allowing refined measurements to improve our understanding of the transmission of many airborne diseases including tuberculosis, the influenza virus, and foot and mouth disease."

Source-Eurekalert