The survival of bacteria in dust. III. The effect of light on the survival of bacteria in dust

Abstract

The effects of daylight, low-intensity ultra-violet radiation, fluorescent lighting, and tungsten-filament lighting on the survival of dust flora have been studied, at room humidities of about 60% and under dry conditions. The first three radiations all cause a significantly enhanced death-rate at room humidities for all the groups of organisms studied. The effect appears to be limited in extent and to be complete in about 10 days. The action of the radiations is much slower under dry conditions.

The survival of bacteria in dust. II. The effect of atmospheric humidity on the survival of bacteria in dust

“…This agrees with expectation, and with the results of tests in which bacterial films were exposed to a range of humidities (Lidwell & Lowbury, 1950c). The relation was found to hold for total bacteria and for Staph.…”

“…In other experiments (Lidwell & Lowbury, 1950b) we had noticed that the death-rate of bacteria in dust kept in the dark increased during the summer months. Indoor humidities are reduced during cold weather, which would favour the survival of streptococci, staphylococci, and probably of other respiratory pathogens in dust during the winter.…”

“…Part of the course of a particular experiment is illustrated (0-07) 0-45 (0-38) The results for dusts nos. 6, 9 and 13 are obtained from a subsequent paper (Lidwell & Lowbury, 1950b).…”

Introduction: the first 100 years

“…But to understand some of the problems of hospital infection in the preantibiotic era, the paper by Wright [17] provides some perspective on modern problems. Similarly, if modern commentators were more aware of the work by Lidwell and Lowbury [18][19][20][21][22] on the role of dust in hospital infection, some of the discussions on the cleaning of hospitals would have a more rational basis.…”

Cross-infection of Wounds with Antibiotic-resistant Organisms

“…In these examples the relative failure may have been caused, in part, by the impossibility of sterilizing dust by either of these methods at levels which are safe for the persons exposed (cf. Lidwell and Lowbury, 1950). Even dust-laying and air-conditioning, however-methods which do not depend on the killing of bacteria-achieve only a partial effect, not only because they too are imperfect but because they attack only one of the vectors of cross-infection.…”