How effective is far-UVC irradiation in reducing transmission of tuberculosis and other pathogens?
Far-UVC is a type of ultraviolet irradiation that can be used to kill airborne pathogens. Far-UVC shows promise for reducing airborne transmission of pathogens such as the tuberculosis bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
However, key information about the effect of far-UVC on M. tuberculosis is missing. Current literature also suffers from significant variability due to differing experimental conditions (for example, humidity, chamber design). This prevents us from designing an optimal far-UVC system and making reliable risk-benefit assessments for its use in public health.
The DEMIST project aims to fill gaps in the data about the effectiveness of far-UVC on M. tuberculosis and other bacteria and viruses.
DEMIST stands for Determining and Extrapolating Microbial Inactivation and Susceptibility of Tuberculosis.
Our approach
We will use our existing methodology to test far-UVC with a wavelength of 222 nanometres under a controlled laboratory approach.
We will test the effectiveness of far-UVC to kill:
- aerosolised virulent M. tuberculosis (Mtb)
- Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a live tuberculosis vaccine
- the reference bacterium Staphylococcus aureus
- bacteriophages ϕX174 and MS2 (viruses that infect bacteria).
We will generate inactivation quantification data (log reduction, viable fraction, and k-values) for these pathogens.
Detailed project goals
We aim to determine the efficacy of far-UVC (222 nm) inactivation against airborne Mtb and reference microorganisms, by generating inactivation quantification data under laboratory conditions.
Our objectives are to:
- Characterise dose-response patterns for aerosolised virulent Mtb, BCG and S. aureus and generate inactivation quantification data (log reduction, viable fraction, inactivation constants, aggregation effects) via culture and advanced flow cytometry
- Determine far-UVC inactivation constants (k-values) for aerosolised reference bacteriophages (ϕX174, MS2)
- Benchmark S. aureus inactivation against published data.
Partners
Funding partner
Blueprint Biosecurity
Collaborators
- Monash University
- Doherty Institute
- WEHI
- University of Melbourne
- THRIVE, Queensland University of Technology
- Defence Science and Technology
Project contacts
Main contact
Associate Professor Suman Majumdar
Chief Health Officer, COVID-19 and Health Emergencies; Deputy Program Director (Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness; Know-C19); Principal Research Fellow
Project team
Elizabeth Dang
Program Manager
Professor Guy Marks
Head, Lung Health; Senior Principal Research Fellow
Professor Heidi Drummer
Deputy Director, Impact; Scientific Director for Research Translation; Scientific Director, Burnet Diagnostics Initiative; Principal Investigator, Burnet Vaccine Initiative; Co-Head, Viral Entry and Vaccines Group
Professor Helen Cox
Working Group Head
Dr Paula Ellenberg
Laboratory Manager
Dr Siddhanth Sharma
Public Health Specialist
Associate Professor Suman Majumdar
Chief Health Officer, COVID-19 and Health Emergencies; Deputy Program Director (Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness; Know-C19); Principal Research Fellow
Dr Anna Coussens
Laboratory Head
WEHI
Professor Jason Monty
Head of School of Electrical, Mechanical and Infrastructure Engineering
University of Melbourne
Professor Kanta Subbarao
Collaborator
Doherty Institute
Dr Katherine Bond
Acting Director, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL)
Doherty Institute
Professor Lidia Morawska
Distinguished Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow
Queensland University of Technology
Dr Milan Jamriska
Research scientist
Defence Science and Technology