Airborne Pathogens

New Device Traps Particulates, Kills Airborne Pathogens

A new device called a soft X-ray electrostatic precipitator protected immunocompromised mice from airborne pathogenic bacteria, viruses, ultrafine particles, and allergens, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental ...More
January 31, 2013
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Patients Can Emit Small Flu-Containing Particles Into the Air During Routine Care, Study Finds

A new study suggests that patients with influenza can emit small virus-containing particles into the surrounding air during routine patient care, potentially exposing healthcare providers to influenza. Published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings raise the ...More
January 31, 2013
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Superbugs Ride Air Currents Around Hospital Units

Hospital superbugs can float on air currents and contaminate surfaces far from infected patients’ beds, according to University of Leeds researchers. The results of the study, which was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), may explain ...More
October 11, 2012
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Researcher Studies Spread of Infectious Disease on Aircraft

A new study is expected to provide the first detailed information on how infectious diseases may be transmitted aboard commercial airliners. Sponsored by aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the research will document patterns of passenger movement inside aircraft cabins and ...More
June 7, 2012
Posted in News
Researchers Study How Microbes Travel Through the Air

Shane Ross, left, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics, and David Schmale III, right, associate professor of plant pathology, physiology and weed science, both at Virginia Tech, are using autonomous aircraft to study how airborne microbes might ride ...More
September 9, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Researchers Study Microbes Circulating in Urban-Area Air

Bacteria from fecal material -- in particular, dog fecal material -- may constitute the dominant source of airborne bacteria in Cleveland's and Detroit's wintertime air, says a new University of Colorado Boulder study. The CU-Boulder study showed that of the four Midwestern ...More
August 19, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Controlling and Preventing Air- and Waterborne Infections

Pathogenic microorganisms are transmitted in numerous ways in hospitals. One important consideration is the role that the environment plays in pathogen transmission, specifically leading to airborne and waterborne infections. ...More
February 22, 2011
Posted in Articles, Disinfection & Sterilization, Environmental Hygiene
BSE Pathogens Can Be Transmitted by Air

Airborne prions are also infectious and can induce mad cow disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This is the surprising conclusion of researchers at the University of Zurich, the University Hospital Zurich and the University of Tübingen. They recommend precautionary ...More
January 14, 2011
Posted in News
Human Coughs Can be Pathway for Flu Transmission

Influenza is thought to be communicated from person to person by multiple pathways; however, the relative importance of different routes of influenza transmission is unclear. To better understand the potential for the airborne spread of influenza, William Lindsley, of the ...More
December 7, 2010
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions
Hong Kong Hospital Reports Possible Airborne Influenza Transmission

Direct contact and droplets are the primary ways influenza spreads. Under certain conditions, however, aerosol transmission is possible. In a study published in the current issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, available online, the authors examined such an outbreak in ...More
November 22, 2010
Posted in News, PPE & Standard Precautions