Effects of Atmospheric Humidity and Temperature on the Survival of Airborne Flavobacterium

The survival of airborne Flavobacterium sp. in particle sizes ranging from 1 to 5 mum was significantly influenced by atmospheric temperature. A progressive increase in temperature from -18 to 49 C resulted in increases in death rates of the airborne organism. The lowest death rates were observed in the temperature range of -40 to -18 C, and the highest death rates were observed in the 29 to 49 C range. At 24 C, the survival of airborne Flavobacterium did not appear to be significantly affected by relative humidity ranging from 25 to 99%.