Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Applied Microbiology logoLink to Applied Microbiology
. 1975 Nov;30(5):786–790. doi: 10.1128/am.30.5.786-790.1975

Method for Collecting Naturally Occurring Airborne Bacterial Spores for Determining Their Thermal Resistance

J R Puleo 1, M S Favero 1,1, G S Oxborrow 1, C M Herring 1,2
PMCID: PMC187273  PMID: 1106321

Abstract

The ability to determine the thermal resistance of naturally occurring air borne bacterial spores associated with spacecraft and their assembly areas has been hindered by lack of an effective collecting system. Efforts to collect and concentrate spores with air samplers or from air filters have not been successful. A fallout method was developed for this purpose and tested. Sterile Teflon ribbons (7.6 by 183 cm) were exposed in pertinent spacecraft assembly areas and subsequently treated with dry heat. Thermal inactivation experiments were conducted at 125 and 113 C. Heating intervals ranged from 1 to 12 h at 125 C and 6, 12, 18, and 24 h at 113 C. Eight hours was the longest heating time yielding survivors at 125 C, whereas survivors were recovered at all of the heating intervals at 113 C. D125C values were calculated using the fractional-replicate-unit-negative technique of Pflug and Schmidt (1968) and ranged from 25 to 126 min. This variation indicated that the most probable number of survivors at each heating interval did not fall on a straight line passing through the initial spore population. However, the most-probable-number values taken alone formed a straight line suggesting logarithmic thermal destruction of a subpopulation of spores with a D125C value of 6.3 h.

Full text

PDF
786

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bond W. W., Favero M. S., Korber M. R. Bacillus sp. ATCC 27380: a spore with extreme resistance to dry heat. Appl Microbiol. 1973 Oct;26(4):614–616. doi: 10.1128/am.26.4.614-616.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bond W. W., Favero M. S., Petersen N. J., Marshall J. H. Dry-heat inactivation kinetics of naturally occurring spore populations. Appl Microbiol. 1970 Oct;20(4):573–578. doi: 10.1128/am.20.4.573-578.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bond W. W., Favero M. S., Petersen N. J., Marshall J. H. Relative frequency distribution of d(125 C) values for spore isolates from the mariner-Mars 1969 spacecraft. Appl Microbiol. 1971 May;21(5):832–836. doi: 10.1128/am.21.5.832-836.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dillon R. T., Holdridge D., Oxborrow G. S., Puleo J. R. A computerized bacterial identification system as applied to planetary quarantine. Space Life Sci. 1971 Aug;3(1):63–84. doi: 10.1007/BF00924216. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Favero M. S., Berquist K. R. Use of laminar air-flow equipment in microbiology. Appl Microbiol. 1968 Jan;16(1):182–183. doi: 10.1128/am.16.1.182-183.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Favero M. S., McDade J. J., Robertsen J. A., Hoffman R. K., Edwards R. W. Microbiological sampling of surfaces. J Appl Bacteriol. 1968 Sep;31(3):336–343. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1968.tb00375.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Favero M. S., Puleo J. R., Marshall J. H., Oxborrow G. S. Comparative levels and types of microbial contamination detected in industrial clean rooms. Appl Microbiol. 1966 Jul;14(4):539–551. doi: 10.1128/am.14.4.539-551.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Oxborrow G. S., Favero M. S. A combination medium for demonstrating starch and gelatin hydrolysis. Am J Med Technol. 1967 Jul-Aug;33(4):334–335. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Puleo J. R., Favero M. S., Petersen N. J. Use of ultrasonic energy in assessing microbial contamination on surfaces. Appl Microbiol. 1967 Nov;15(6):1345–1351. doi: 10.1128/am.15.6.1345-1351.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Puleo J. R., Favero M. S., Tritz G. J. Feasibility of using ultrasonics for removing viable microorganisms from surfaces. Contam Control. 1967 Apr;6(4):58–passim. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Puleo J. R., Fields N. D., Moore B., Graves R. C. Microbial contamination associated with the Apollo 6 spacecraft during final assembly and testing. Space Life Sci. 1970 May;2(1):48–56. doi: 10.1007/BF00928955. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Puleo J. R., Oxborrow G. S., Fields N. D., Hall H. E. Quantitative and qualitative microbiological profiles of the Apollo 10 and 11 spacecraft. Appl Microbiol. 1970 Sep;20(3):384–389. doi: 10.1128/am.20.3.384-389.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Puleo J. R., Oxborrow G. S., Fields N. D., Herring C. M., Smith L. S. Microbiological profiles of four Apollo spacecraft. Appl Microbiol. 1973 Dec;26(6):838–845. doi: 10.1128/am.26.6.838-845.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES