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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1969 May; 17(5): 685-689
Copyright © 1969 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Enhanced Recovery of Airborne T₃ Coliphage and Pasteurella pestis Bacteriophage by Means of a Presampling Humidification Technique

Naval Biological Laboratory, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
Naval Medical Research Unit # 1, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a series of experiments in which two methods of collecting airborne bacteriophage particles were compared. A standard aerosol sampler, the AGI-30, was evaluated for its competence in measuring the content of bacteriophage aerosols. It was used alone or with a prewetting or humidification device (humidifier bulb) to recover T₃ coliphage and Pasteurella pestis bacteriophage particles from aerosols maintained at 21 C and varied relative humidity. Collection of bacteriophage particles via the humidifier bulb altered both the initial recovery level and the apparent biological decay. Sampling airborne bacteriophage particles by the AGI-30 alone yielded data that apparently underestimated the maximal number of potentially viable particles within the aerosol, sometimes by as much as 3 logs.