Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-l4ctd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-25T00:03:14.188Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The influence of atmospheric drying on the survival of wound flora

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

E. J. L. Lowbury  and
Jean Fox
E. J. L. Lowbury
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Industrial Injuries and Burns Research Unit, Birmingham Accident Hospital
Jean Fox
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Industrial Injuries and Burns Research Unit, Birmingham Accident Hospital
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Suspensions of Strep. pyogenes, Staph. aureus, Ps. pyocyanea and micrococci in serum, distilled water, saline and oleic acid solution were allowed to dry on cover-slips. The numbers of bacteria surviving after periods of exposure were estimated from viable counts of extracted cover-slips.

All the organisms tested showed after drying a fall in viable count that was absent in aqueous suspensions not allowed to dry. Ps. pyocyanea was shown to have a lower survival rate on drying than the other organisms.

Serum afforded moderate protection to the suspended organisms during the period of drying.

0·1 mg./ml. oleic acid caused a rapid destruction of Strep. pyogenes and a significant destruction of Ps. pyocyanea as well as of Staph. aureus and micrococci in drying films of these organisms. The similarity of the fate of Staph. aureus and micrococci during drying in low concentrations of oleic acid is in contrast to the previously reported greater sensitivity of Staph. aureus to higher concentrations of oleic acid (1–10 mg./ml.) in the test-tube.

The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to skin and wound flora, and to environmental hygiene.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , June 1953 , pp. 203 - 214
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1953

References

Bardsley, D. A. (1948). A study of coliform organisms in the Melbourne water supply and in animal faeces, with observations on their longevity in faeces and in soil. J. Hyg., Camb., 46, 269.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bellamy, W. D. & Klimek, J. W. (1948). Some properties of penicillin-resistant staphylococci. J. Bact. 55, 153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, W. A. & Allison, V. D. (1937). Infection of the air of scarlet fever wards with Streptococcus pyogenes. J. Hyg., Camb., 37, 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burtenshaw, J. M. L. (1938). The mortality of the haemolytic streptococcus on the skin and on other surfaces. J. Hyg., Camb.. 38, 575.Google ScholarPubMed
Burtenshaw, J. M. L. (1942). The mechanism of self disinfection of the human skin and its appendages. J. Hyg., Camb., 42, 184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunklin, E. W. & Puck, T. T. (1948). The lethal effect of relative humidity on airborne bacteria. J. exp. Med. 87, 87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gale, E. F. & Rodwell, A. W. (1948). Amino acid metabolism of penicillin resistant staphylococci. J. Bact. 55, 161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hellat, A. (1948). Studies on the self-disinfecting power of the skin. Ann. Med. exp. Fenn. 26, supplement 8.Google Scholar
Heller, G. (1941). A quantitative study of environmental factors involved in survival and death of bacteria in the desiccated state. J. Bact. 41, 109.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lidwell, O. M. & Lowbury, E. J. (1950 a). The survival of bacteria in dust. J. Hyg., Camb., 48, 28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lidwell, O. M. & Lowbury, E. J. (1950 b). The survival of bacteria in dust. J. Hyg., Camb., 48, 38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morton, H.E. & Pulaski, E.J. (1938). The preservation of bacterial cultures. J. Bact. 35, 163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Payne, A. M. M. (1949). Influence of humidity on survival of Bact. coli on skin. Monthly Bull. P.H.L.S. p. 263.Google Scholar
Ricketts, C. R., Squire, J. R., Topley, Elizabeth with Lilly, H. A. (1951). Human skin lipids, with particular reference to the self-sterilizing power of the skin. Clin. Sci. 10, 89.Google Scholar
Wallace, A. B. (1949). Treatment of burns. Brit. J. Plast. Surg. 1, 232.Google ScholarPubMed