title: Feasibility of selected prophylactic barriers in arrestance of airborne bacterial vegetative cells and endospores.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transmission of infection by airborne agents is a risk for health care personnel, patients, and visitors. This risk is heightened in regions without access to environmental controls and personal protective equipment. The ability of 2 prophylactic barriers (ie, semitransparent netting for insect control) to arrest bioaerosols was assessed for potential use within the malarial zones.
  
  
  METHODS
  Barriers (pore sizes of 0.8 mm and 0.25 mm) were challenged with bioaerosols of vegetative cells and endospores of Bacillus anthracis strain Sterne 34F2 using a bioaerosol chamber. Barriers were also challenged with airborne inert polystyrene latex particles of known diameters (0.1, 0.43, 0.6, 1.3, 3.2, and 8.0 μm), and the arrestance provided by barrier with the 0.25 mm pore size was expressed as a function of aerodynamic diameter of challenge aerosols.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Barrier with the 0.8 mm pore size provided no significant arrestance of aerosols, whereas the barrier with the 0.25 mm pore size provided an 8% arrestance of vegetative cells and a 13% arrestance of endospores. No arrestance at or below the 0.6 μm particle size was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of arrestance provided by these prophylactic barriers does not justify their use as a sole method of preventing transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Craig S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Christopher F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Shawn G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.forename: Adelisa L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Panlilio
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Pasquale V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Scarpino
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D000391:Air Microbiology; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation; D010316:Particle Size; D011137:Polystyrenes; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D011137:Polystyrenes