Environmental Persistence of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus subtilis Spores

There is a lack of data for how the viability of biological agents may degrade over time in different environments. In this study, experiments were conducted to determine the persistence of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus subtilis spores on outdoor materials with and without exposure to simulated su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-09, Vol.10 (9), p.e0138083-e0138083
Main Authors: Wood, Joseph P, Meyer, Kathryn M, Kelly, Thomas J, Choi, Young W, Rogers, James V, Riggs, Karen B, Willenberg, Zachary J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacillus
Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus anthracis - physiology
Bacillus anthracis - radiation effects
Bacillus subtilis
Bacillus subtilis - physiology
Bacillus subtilis - radiation effects
Bacterial spores
Cold
Deactivation
Decay
Decay rate
DNA damage
Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation
Environmental aspects
Environmental protection
Exposure
Inactivation
Kinetics
Laboratories
Microbial Viability - radiation effects
Physiological aspects
Porosity
Porous materials
R&D
Radiation
Recovery
Research & development
Species Specificity
Spores
Spores, Bacterial - physiology
Spores, Bacterial - radiation effects
Studies
Topsoil
U.V. radiation
Ultraviolet radiation
Ultraviolet Rays
Viability
Viruses
Wood
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Summary:There is a lack of data for how the viability of biological agents may degrade over time in different environments. In this study, experiments were conducted to determine the persistence of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus subtilis spores on outdoor materials with and without exposure to simulated sunlight, using ultraviolet (UV)-A/B radiation. Spores were inoculated onto glass, wood, concrete, and topsoil and recovered after periods of 2, 14, 28, and 56 days. Recovery and inactivation kinetics for the two species were assessed for each surface material and UV exposure condition. Results suggest that with exposure to UV, decay of spore viability for both Bacillus species occurs in two phases, with an initial rapid decay, followed by a slower inactivation period. The exception was with topsoil, in which there was minimal loss of spore viability in soil over 56 days, with or without UV exposure. The greatest loss in viable spore recovery occurred on glass with UV exposure, with nearly a four log10 reduction after just two days. In most cases, B. subtilis had a slower rate of decay than B. anthracis, although less B. subtilis was recovered initially.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0138083