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Imprint
Rapid detection of fluorescence-labeled biological tracer particles for investigation of the dispersal of airborne microorganisms and validation of dispersion models
Project
Project code: TI-AT-08-PID1426
Contract period: 01.09.2013
- 30.04.2016
Purpose of research: Inventory & Assessment
Planned construction of animal housings lead more and more often to resistance in the local population. The reason: Emission of bioaerosols. We develop measuring systems to collect valid data and provide them for health assessment. The air in animal houses contains large amounts of microorganisms like bacteria and molds, which with the exhaust air get also to the outside. Near residents often suspect that these so-called bio-aerosols harm their health. There is also the danger of the transfer of diseases between livestock. At which conditions and distances this may occur is widely unclear. To investigate this with measurements of local concentrations is logistically complex and expensive. Therefore experts often use computer models to calculate the dispersion distances. The classical models were originally designed for the simulation of gases and dust and not for living (micro-)organisms. Our goal is to develop a method by which we can test, if already existing computer models can satisfactorily predict the dispersal of micro-organisms. Together with the company Palas from Karlsruhe we are labeling harmless microorganisms with a non-toxic dye, which fluoresce under UV-light. Then we develop a measuring cell to detect these “tracer particles” in the air online. When we spray billions of tracer particles into the air of an animal house we can measure how much of these get into the outside and how far they fly. We compare the measured data with the computer simulation and evaluate the correspondent model. For the development of tracer particles we use classical microbiological methods and different fluorescence staining techniques. Engineering of the measuring cell requires great know-how of the company Palas in the field of particle detection with aerosol spectrometers.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal Husbandry
- Process engineering
- Toxicology
