2026-10-06T10:14:02Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34030668 2026-09-30T13:31:05Z portal_1188 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

A novel and validated chamber to reproducibly perform aerosol deposition for the determination of antimicrobial surface efficacy - Data Alexander Cunliffe (23879919) James Redfern (23879913) Alisha Awan (25142650) Abby Marchant (24044850) N/A <p dir="ltr">The transfer of microorganisms via aerosol deposition on surfaces represents a key pathway to the spread of infection throughout the built environment. Antimicrobial surfaces offer a passive and complementary solution to current infection prevention and control systems. However, methods to accurately assess antimicrobial surfaces contaminated via aerosols are lacking. This study developed a novel chamber to reproducibly deposit aerosolised bacteria and bacteriophage to antimicrobial copper surfaces via a nebuliser and compressed air pump. The chamber was assessed for optimal aliquot volume, coupon location and microbial titre, alongside the survival of the microorganisms on inert surfaces and the impact of aerosol deposition and environmental relative humidity on the antimicrobial efficacy of copper surfaces. The chamber demonstrated reproducible transfer to leneta, stainless steel, and copper coupons. The antimicrobial efficacy of copper coupons was highly limited against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538p), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442) and Φ6 bacteriophage (ATCC 21781 - B1). Additionally, antimicrobial efficacy of copper coupons against S. aureus was reduced in drier environments, with the greatest population reduction observed in high (> 60%) relative humidity environments, compared to the mid (40-60%) and low (< 30%) relative humidity environments, with greater effects being observed for P. aeruginosa. These results present a novel and validated protocol to simulate the contamination of surfaces within the built environment via aerosols and demonstrates the need for new standards that assess antimicrobial surfaces in an environment more analogous to the intended end-use.</p> 2026-09-30T13:31:05Z Dataset Dataset 10.83056/mmu.34030668.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/A_novel_and_validated_chamber_to_reproducibly_perform_aerosol_deposition_for_the_determination_of_antimicrobial_surface_efficacy_-_Data/34030668 CC BY 4.0 Embargoed