title: Effect of prehumidification on sampling of selected airborne viruses.
abstract: Studies were undertaken to determine if a prewetting device (humidifier bulb) used in combination with an all glass impinger (AGI-30) would increase the recovery of airborne mengovirus-37A, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and the S-13 coliphage. Suspensions of T3 coliphage with mengovirus-37A, VSV, or S-13 were aerosolized and collected by using the AGI-30-humidifier bulb combination to sample the aerosols before and after shifts in relative humidities (RH). These studies revealed the following. (i) At low RH values there was a 3 to 4 log increase in recovery of airborne T3 phage; (ii) concomitantly, the recovery of mengovirus-37A and VSV decreased; and (iii) only at the mid-range RH values was the recovery of S-13 enhanced. The prehumidification technique significantly increased the recovery of airborne T3 phage but decreased the recovery of the two animal viruses tested.
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000391:Air Microbiology; D003090:Coliphages / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004686:Encephalomyocarditis virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006813:Humidity; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols