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Assessment of Bacterial Spores in Solid Materials: Curriculum Improvements Partnership Award for the Integration of Research (CIPAIR)This summer, we quantified the release, by cryogenic grinding at liquid nitrogen temperatures, of microbes present in 4 different spacecraft solids: epoxy 9309, epoxy 9394, epoxy 9396, and a silicone coating. Three different samples of each material were prepared: aseptically prepared solid material, powdered material inoculated with a known spore count of Bacillus atrophaeus, and solid material artificially embedded with a known spore count of Bacillus atrophaeus. Samples were cryogenically ground as needed, and the powders were directly cultured to determine the number of microbial survivors per gram of material. Recovery rates were found to be highly material-dependent, varying from 0.2 to 50% for inoculated material surfaces and 0.002 to 0.5% for embedded spores. A study of the spore survival rate versus total grinding time was also performed, with results indicating that longer grinding time decreases recovery rates of viable spores.
Document ID
20150004583
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Other
External Source(s)
Authors
Lavallee, Richard J.
(Santa Monica Coll. Santa Monica, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
April 8, 2015
Publication Date
August 1, 2012
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
embedded bioburden
bacillus spores

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