Year: 2006
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Philosophiae Doctor in Engineering Tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's greatest killers, is predominantly spread by the airbome route.Drug-resistant M. lzubel-culosis has emerged as a global public health threat despite effective dnigs and disease control strategies.Little is h o w n about M luBerculosis transmission and the efficacy of necessary environmental (engineering) interventions for infection control; particularly in light of the global HIV/Aids epidemic.This thesis covers the development, validation and calibration of the unique Airborne Infection Research (AIR) facility (apparatus) that utilises a biological model to sample airborne M. ~uberculosis by transporting infectious air from patient wards to animal exposure chambers housing guinea pigs.This capability, hitherto a universal limitation due to the unique characteristics of the tubercle bacili, will now allow a collaboration of researchers horn around the world to undertake scientific smdies to answer fundamental questioi~s about the infectious~less of drug-resistant A4 /uhet.culosisand the efficacy of various engineering interventions ro minimise the spread of airborne disease.These experiments will provide the scientific blue-prints for design of safer health care facilities and the development of improved building and construction standards.The AIR facility, recently completed as pan of this study, was the culmination of a five year research project by a collaborative research team From the SA Medical Research Council, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA; and Harvard
Author: Sidney Andrew Parsons
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W118600973