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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2009, p. 2742-2749, Vol. 75, No. 9
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01790-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Treatment of Fungal Bioaerosols by a High-Temperature, Short-Time Process in a Continuous-Flow System{triangledown}

Jae Hee Jung,1,3 Jung Eun Lee,2 Chang Ho Lee,3 Sang Soo Kim,4* and Byung Uk Lee3*

Center for Environmental Technology Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea,1 Public Health Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Health, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Yeongeon-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul 110-799, Republic of Korea,2 Aerosol and Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Konkuk University, Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea,3 Aerosol and Particle Technology Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea4

Received 3 August 2008/ Accepted 2 February 2009

Airborne fungi, termed fungal bioaerosols, have received attention due to the association with public health problems and the effects on living organisms in nature. There are growing concerns that fungal bioaerosols are relevant to the occurrence of allergies, opportunistic diseases in hospitals, and outbreaks of plant diseases. The search for ways of preventing and curing the harmful effects of fungal bioaerosols has created a high demand for the study and development of an efficient method of controlling bioaerosols. However, almost all modern microbiological studies and theories have focused on microorganisms in liquid and solid phases. We investigated the thermal heating effects on fungal bioaerosols in a continuous-flow environment. Although the thermal heating process has long been a traditional method of controlling microorganisms, the effect of a continuous high-temperature, short-time (HTST) process on airborne microorganisms has not been quantitatively investigated in terms of various aerosol properties. Our experimental results show that the geometric mean diameter of the tested fungal bioaerosols decreased when they were exposed to increases in the surrounding temperature. The HTST process produced a significant decline in the (1->3)-β-D-glucan concentration of fungal bioaerosols. More than 99% of the Aspergillus versicolor and Cladosporium cladosporioides bioaerosols lost their culturability in about 0.2 s when the surrounding temperature exceeded 350°C and 400°C, respectively. The instantaneous exposure to high temperature significantly changed the surface morphology of the fungal bioaerosols.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address for Sang Soo Kim: Aerosol and Particle Technology Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea. Phone: 82 42 350 2009. Fax: 82 42 350 2204. E-mail: sskim{at}kaist.ac.kr. Mailing address for Byung Uk Lee: Aerosol and Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Konkuk University, Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea. Phone: 82 2 450 4091. Fax: 82 2 447 5886. E-mail: leebu{at}konkuk.ac.kr

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 6 February 2009.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2009, p. 2742-2749, Vol. 75, No. 9
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01790-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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