Premium
Collection of airborne micro‐organisms on Nuclepore filters, estimation and analysis—CAMNEA method
Author(s) -
Palmgren U.,
Ström G.,
Blomquist G.,
Malmberg P.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1986.tb04303.x
Subject(s) - acridine orange , enumeration , spore , staining , fraction (chemistry) , fluorescent staining , environmental science , biology , endospore , chemistry , chromatography , microbiology and biotechnology , mathematics , genetics , combinatorics
The total number of airborne micro‐organisms collected on Nuclepore filters was determined by acridine orange staining and epifluorescence microscopy. The viable fraction of the total numbers varied significantly when actinomycete and fungal spores from different environments were stored on the filter surface for 1 week, although the microflora composition was not altered. A high correlation between viable and total counts was noted in environments where the airborne flora was dominated by fungal spores, while a low correlation was found for airborne bacteria. Peak values of the total counts registered in some work environments varied between 10 7 and 10 11 micro‐organisms/m 3 . Size analysis showed a dominating fraction of respirable micro‐organisms (aerodynamical diameter < 5 μm). The investigation shows that it is of the utmost importance to combine viable counts with total count enumeration in the study of exposure to micro‐organisms in work‐related situations.