Design, construction, and evaluation of a chamber for aerobiology

A chamber was designed and constructed for aeromicrobiology applications. An ultraviolet (UV) radiation source was incorporated to sterilize the chamber between trials. Twelve bacterial species originally isolated from air samples and obtained from the American Type Culture Collection were tested for efficacy of UV radiation disinfection of the chamber, comprising five Gram-positive bacteria, six Gram-negative and one Gram-variable bacterial species. Experiments were designed to determine time needed to sterilize the chamber walls and air within the chamber after an aerosol containing ≤108 bacteria/1 of air was introduced or suspensions of the microorganisms were placed on surfaces within the chamber. Exposure of surfaces to UV for 120 min was determined to provide sufficient disinfection for reuse of the chamber for aerobiology studies.