Narayan, R and Kundu, D and Ghatak, A and Tripathi, S and Datta, S (2022) Efficient elimination of airborne pathogens: a study on aerosolized Mycobacterium tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 using ZeBox technology. In: Journal of Hospital Infection, 129 . pp. 17-21.
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Abstract
Background: Despite multifactorial evidence, the safe and effective elimination of free-floating micro-organisms remains a significant scientific challenge. ZeBox Technology exploits microbial Zeta Potential, to extract and eliminate them from free-flowing air, using a non-ionizing electric field, in combination with a microbicidal surface. Aim: Evaluation of ZeBox Technology against aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis under controlled conditions. Methods: SARS-CoV-2 and M. tuberculosis H37Ra were used in this study. Individual micro-organisms were aerosolized using a Collison nebulizer inside an air-sealed test chamber. Air samples were collected from the chamber on to a Mixed Cellulose Ester membrane, at various time points, and used for enumeration. SARS-CoV-2 was enumerated using qRT-PCR, while M. tuberculosis H37Ra was quantified using standard microbiological procedures. Findings: We established a viable aerosolized microbial load of �10E9 and �10E6 for SARS-CoV-2 and M. tuberculosis H37Ra, respectively, inside the test chamber. Under ideal conditions, the floating microbial load was at a steady-state level of 10E9 for SARS-CoV-2 and 10E6 for M. tuberculosis. When the ZeBox-Technology-enabled device was operated, the microbial load reduced significantly. A reduction of �10E4.7 was observed for M. tuberculosis, while a reduction of �10E7 for SARS-CoV-2 was observed within a short duration. The reduction in airborne SARS-CoV-2 load was qualitatively and quantitatively measured using fluorescence analysis and qRT-PCR methods, respectively. Conclusion: This validation demonstrates the efficacy of the developed technology against two of the deadliest micro-organisms that claim millions of lives worldwide. In conjunction with the existing reports, the present validation proved the true broad-spectrum elimination capability of ZeBox technology. © 2022 The Healthcare Infection Society
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Journal of Hospital Infection |
| Publisher: | W.B. Saunders Ltd |
| Additional Information: | The copyright for this article belongs to the Authors. |
| Department/Centre: | Division of Biological Sciences > Microbiology & Cell Biology |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Oct 2022 07:25 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Oct 2022 07:25 |
| URI: | https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/77434 |
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