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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2004, p. 2021-2027, Vol. 70, No. 4
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.4.2021-2027.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Size and UV Germicidal Irradiation Susceptibility of Serratia marcescens when Aerosolized from Different Suspending Media

Ka M. Lai,* Harriet A. Burge, and Melvin W. First

Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Received 21 July 2003/ Accepted 20 December 2003

Experimental systems have been built in laboratories worldwide to investigate the influence of various environmental parameters on the efficacy of UV germicidal irradiation (UVGI) for deactivating airborne microorganisms. It is generally recognized that data from different laboratories might vary significantly due to differences in systems and experimental conditions. In this study we looked at the effect of the composition of the suspending medium on the size and UVGI susceptibility of Serratia marcescens in an experimental system built in our laboratory. S. marcescens was suspended in (i) distilled water, (ii) phosphate buffer, (iii) 10% fetal calf serum, (iv) phosphate-buffered saline (saline, 0.8% sodium chloride), and (v) synthetic saliva (phosphate-buffered saline with 10% fetal calf serum). At low humidity (36%), S. marcescens suspended in water-only medium was the most susceptible to UVGI, followed by those in serum-only medium. The count median diameters (CMDs) for culturable particles from water-only and serum-only media were 0.88 and 0.95 µm, respectively, with the measurements based on their aerodynamic behavior. The bacteria suspended in phosphate buffer, synthetic saliva, and phosphate-buffered saline had similar UVGI susceptibility and CMD at 1.0, 1.4, and 1.5 µm, respectively. At high humidity (68%) the CMD of the particles increased by 6 to 16%, and at the same time UVGI susceptibility decreased, with the magnitude of decrease related to the type of suspending medium. In conclusion, the choice of suspending medium influenced both size and UVGI susceptibility of S. marcescens. These data are valuable for making comparisons and deciding on the use of an appropriate medium for various applications.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115-6021. Phone: (617) 432-0988. Fax: (617) 432-3349. E-mail: klai{at}hsph.harvard.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2004, p. 2021-2027, Vol. 70, No. 4
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.4.2021-2027.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • McDevitt, J. J., Lai, K. M., Rudnick, S. N., Houseman, E. A., First, M. W., Milton, D. K. (2007). Characterization of UVC Light Sensitivity of Vaccinia Virus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 5760-5766 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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