Air microbiology

Mcb 417 by Dr Sule

Methods for studying

microorganisms in the air
Examination of air is essential in the
ffg conditions
In hospital wards
Surgical operation theatre
Premises where food articles are
prepared
Premises where pharmaceutical
preparations are made
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Permissible level of counts allowed

in some environment
Bacterial should not exceed 50 cfu/ft3
in factories, offices, and homes
10 cfu/ft3 in theatre operations
1 cfu/ft3 in neurosurgery
In the production of injections and
ophthalmic drugs are made 10 cfu/ft3
is allowed

Enumeration of mos in the

air
1. Solid impingement device;1.
2.

Impinged directly on agar medium

Subsequent incubation result into colonies

2. Liquid impingement devices;1.

2.
3.

Sampled in the form of air spray

Passed through broth where the mos are trapped
The aliquot is then cultured to determine the
microbial content

Specific examples of solid

impingement devices

Settling plat techniques

Sieve sampler
Slit sampler
Membrane filter
Tube sampler
Anderson six stage volumetric sampling
Electrode precipitation
Reuter centrifugation air sampler
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 SETTLING PLATE TECHNIQUES

Agar surface is exposed directly to the air in a petri dish for several minutes
The plate is then incubated
Surface must be kept dry
For bacteria NA, PCA, TCA
For fungi PDA, SDA, malt extract agar is used
They are labeled accordingly about the place, time , duration, human
activities.
To detect a particular pathogen blood agar is used and an appropriate
selective medium may be used.
Each colony represent a particle carrying mos
Better to keep about one meter above the ground

it is a crude method because;Only particles of certain dimensions will settle on the plate in a given time
No way to know the volume of air been sampled
By repeated use it is possible to obtain a rough estimate of the extent of air
contamination

Sieve sampler
Draws a measured volume of air through an
evenly spaced hole under which is petridish

It solve the problem of over crowding

Slit sampler

It has a single hole

It has a rotating platform
It has an agar medium
Can quantify the volume of air been sampled
The rotating medium can reduce the problem of
overcrowding

Air is drawn through the single whole slit

sampler
The petri dish is rotated and the RPM is
increased according the estimated
microbial load
The platform has an adhesive feature to
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grip the agar plat

Membrane filter
Air is filtered through a specialized type of
membrane in a filter assembly
Funnel shaped inlet , and a tube like outlet
particles larger than the pore, do not pass
through the membrane
Outlet filter is connected to a vacuum pump
to pump in a measured a volume of air
It can be placed directly on the surface of
an agar medium
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Tube sampler
One of the oldest sampler used for collecting and
enumerating samples
It consist of tube with a wider top and a narrow
bottom
Near the bottom there is a filter of wet sand
supported with cotton wool
This is sterilized
Air and dust samples is allowed to through
Distilled water or broth is used to wash the sand
An aliquot of the solution is cultured
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Anderson six stage volumetric

sampling
This is the best sampler
Very sensitive and efficient
It has six petri dishes containing
suitable. growth under sieves of
different pore size
It has 400 drilled jet in each sieve
The circular orifice suck air at
28.3litres/mins
It pass through sieve of decreasing
order of pore size

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Electrode precipitation
These samples collect particles by drawing
air over an electrically charge surface
Has two petri dishes one +ve and the other
ve
An electrically operated blower blows air at
the same rate to the two petri dishes
The positively charged organism goes to the
anode
While the negatively charged mos goes to
the cathode
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Reuter centrifugal air

sampler
The primitive one was developed by
WELLS in 1993
Particles from the air are pushed
away from the centre towards the
culture medium
The air is passed along a tube
The inner surface of the tube is lined
with culture medium and any particle
containing mos
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Modern version of wells

centrifuge
Resembles a large cylinderincal torch light with an
open drum at one end
The drum encloses an impeller blade which can
rotated with battery power
A flexible strip coated with culture strip can be placed
along the inner side of the medium
Air is drawn into the drum and subjected to
centrifugal force and the suspended particles to be
impacted on the culture
After sampling the agar strip is removed aseptically
Precautions;- do not touch the surface of the strip,
check the strip for contamination and desiccation
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Air pollution
Undesirable change in the; physical
Chemical
Biological

Characteristics of the air, water, land that can

be harmful to human life, desirable spp,
industrial process, living conditions, or that will
waste or deteriorate our raw material resources
Pollutant are harmful while contaminant are not

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Causes of Air pollution

Burning
Metallurgical processing
Chemical industries
Processing industries
Welding, stone crushing, gem
grinding

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Classification of air
pollutants
Primary pollutant;- emitted directly
into the air
Secondary pollutant;- primary
pollutant reacts with normal
atmospheric compounds, ozone

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Air pollutant

Particulate matter
CO
Sulphur oxides
Nitrogen oxides
Carbondioxides
Ozone
Pollen and microbes
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Particulate matter
Settleable dust;- greater than ten microns
Suspended particles ;
Aerosols <1microns
Dust and mist >1microns

TS= DISSOLVED SOLID + SUSPENDED SOLID

Effect of particulate matter
Dust and smoke particles cause bronchitis, Asthma, lung disease,
and so on.
Smog ;- fog and smoke
Causes water condensation around them and attracts other elements like h2S,SO2, NO2
Harms plant [necrosis,]
Causes respiratory troubles in animals and humans [allergies and asthma]

Scatters light rays

Reduces sunlight
At conc of about 150mg/100mcube, cotton dust prodce pnemoconiosis
Settles on leaf to clog stomata and prevent photosynthesis
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Carbon monoxide
50% of atmospheric pollutant
Haemoglobin absorbs co nearly
250times than it does O
100ppm conc of co

Giddiness and headache

Psychometer disturbance
Cardiovascular malfunction
Decreased vision
At higher conc it can kill

The conc is usually found at traffic jam

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Sulphur oxide
Occur mostly as sulphur dioxide
Colorless and odorless gas
Produced during smelting of metallic ore
SO2 combine with water to form sulphuric acid
Effect of sulphurdioxide include

Causes chlorosis and necrosis in plant (0.032)

Membrane damage, growth inhibition, yield reduction
An indicator is garden pear
Eye iritation, asthma, brochitis and kill fish and other
animal
Discoloration of sculptures
Corrodes metalls
Has mutagenic properties
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Nitrogen oxides

Biological and nonbiological activities

Gives rise to photochemical smog
Corrosive effect on water
Leison, chlorosis, dieback
Mutagenic
Carcinogenic, oedama, blood
congestion, respiratory troubles
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carbondioxide
Opaque to infrared light , therefore allows the
sunlight to fall on the earth.
OZONE

Ozone is formed when sunlight fertilizes the

reaction between nitrogen oxides and volatile
hydrocarbon
Discolors textiles
1ppm injurious to mucus membrane
Ozone hardens rubber
0.02ppm destroys collenchyma, necrotic
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Pollen and microbes

Pollens cause allergic reaction
inseveral individuals
Amaranths spinosus
Chenopodium album
Cynodon doctylon
Ricins communis
Sorghum vulgar

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Control of air pollution

Chimney
Industries far from residential areas
Removal of poisonos gases by passing the
fumes through water tower scrubbers
Use of high of temperature incinerators
Desulphurization
Employment of noncombustible source of
energy
Electrification of some engines
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Air purification
Heat sterilization; 220C 2ru pipe

Electrostatic precipitation; air passed 2ru ionizer and passed through collector

Chemical agent; Hypochlorous acid;- 0.55ppm r.h 90%

Glycols;- 0.25, 27 at 45-70%

U.V radiation; 245nm,

Photoproduct in deinococus radiodurans 5,6-dihydroxydihydrothymine
bacteria spores, 5-thyminyl-5,6-dihydrothymine

Mechanical methods
Suppression of dust
Filter
Hepa filter

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