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Microbial investigation of the air in an apartment building

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

Carole Simard ,
Michel Trudel ,
Gilles Paquette  and
Pierre Payment
Carole Simard
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche en virologie, Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, C.P. 100, Laval, Québec, H7N 4Z3, Canada
Michel Trudel
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche en virologie, Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, C.P. 100, Laval, Québec, H7N 4Z3, Canada
Gilles Paquette
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche en virologie, Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, C.P. 100, Laval, Québec, H7N 4Z3, Canada
Pierre Payment
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche en virologie, Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, C.P. 100, Laval, Québec, H7N 4Z3, Canada
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The microbial and viral flora in the ventilating ducts of an apartment building was evaluated. Several types of sampler (slit sampler, Andersen sampler, large volume air sampler) were used to evaluate the hourly, weekly and seasonal variation of this flora. The mean bacterial concentration was 17·2 c.f.u./m3 with a maximum level at 07.30 h (41·3 c.f.u./m3) and a minimal concentration in the early afternoon (8 c.f.u./m3). The bacterial concentration observed correlated with the relative humidity in the air-ducts although there were no seasonal differences. The bacteria were mainly gram-positive cocci (73·5%) represented by a large number of Micrococcaceae (47·1 %); gram-positive bacilli accounted for 14·2% of the isolates, gram-negative bacilli 120% and gram-negative cocci 0–3%. The majority of the bacteria-carrying particles were in the respirable range with 80·4 % of them being less than 5 γm. The methods used did not result in the isolation of viruses during the winter sampling period.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 91 , Issue 2 , October 1983 , pp. 277 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

References

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