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Article
A method to quantify infectious airborne pathogens at concentrations below the threshold of quantification by culture
The Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research
  • Timothy D. Cutler, Iowa State University
  • Chong Wang, Iowa State University
  • Steven J. Hoff, Iowa State University
  • Jeffrey J. Zimmerman, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
4-1-2013
Abstract

In aerobiology, dose-response studies are used to estimate the risk of infection to a susceptible host presented by exposure to a specific dose of an airborne pathogen. In the research setting, host- and pathogen-specific factors that affect the dose-response continuum can be accounted for by experimental design, but the requirement to precisely determine the dose of infectious pathogen to which the host was exposed is often challenging. By definition, quantification of viable airborne pathogens is based on the culture of micro-organisms, but some airborne pathogens are transmissible at concentrations below the threshold of quantification by culture. In this paper we present an approach to the calculation of exposure dose at microbiologically unquantifiable levels using an application of the “continuous-stirred tank reactor (CSTR) model” and the validation of this approach using rhodamine B dye as a surrogate for aerosolized microbial pathogens in a dynamic aerosol toroid (DAT).

Comments

This article is from The Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 77 (2013): 95. Posted with permission.

Copyright Owner
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Timothy D. Cutler, Chong Wang, Steven J. Hoff and Jeffrey J. Zimmerman. "A method to quantify infectious airborne pathogens at concentrations below the threshold of quantification by culture" The Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research Vol. 77 Iss. 2 (2013) p. 95 - 99
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/steven_hoff/138/