Agharkar, Amey Nitin;
Hajra, Dipasree;
Roy, Durbar;
Jaiswal, Vivek;
Kabi, Prasenjit;
Chakravortty, Dipshikha;
Basu, Saptarshi;
(2024)
Evaporation of bacteria-laden surrogate respiratory fluid droplets: On a hydrophilic substrate vs contact-free environment confers differential bacterial infectivity.
Physics of Fluids
, 36
(3)
, Article 031912. 10.1063/5.0196219.
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Abstract
The transmission of viruses/bacteria causes infection predominantly via aerosols. The transmission mechanism of respiratory diseases is complex, which includes direct or indirect contact, large droplet, and airborne routes apart from close contact transmission. With this premise, two modes of droplet evaporation are investigated to understand its significance in airborne disease transmission; a droplet in a contact-free environment, which evaporates and forms droplet nuclei, and a droplet on a hydrophilic substrate (fomite). The study examines mass transport, the deposition pattern of bacteria in the precipitates, and their survival and virulence. The osmotic pressure increases with the salt concentration, inactivating the bacteria embedded in the precipitates with accelerated evaporation. Furthermore, the bacteria's degree of survival and enhanced pathogenicity are compared for both evaporation modes. The striking differences in pathogenicity are attributed to the evaporation rate, oxygen availability, and reactive oxygen species generation.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Evaporation of bacteria-laden surrogate respiratory fluid droplets: On a hydrophilic substrate vs contact-free environment confers differential bacterial infectivity |
| DOI: | 10.1063/5.0196219 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0196219 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10191685 |
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