In many industries, such as pharmaceuticals, mining, and construction, air samples are important for analyzing the concentration of dust and other hazardous particles that can be detrimental to both business operations and employees. Air cassettes can be used to assess the risk of these dangers. These small devices allow users to collect a representative sample of air particles in a specific environment that help identify that an area is conducive for working and business operations.

In this post, we explore what air cassettes are and how they are utilized for air sampling.

Many industries such as biotechnology, medical device manufacturing, pharmaceutical, medical disposables, and hospital pharmacies carry out air sampling in their rooms and production areas. Air sampling refers to collecting a volume of air to inspect it for undesirable particles and contaminants.

Why is Air Sampling Needed?

Many industries like the ones mentioned above need to follow and adhere to strict regulations that dictate the cleanliness and maintenance of rooms and manufacturing areas. In order to control the amount of contaminants and particles in the air, air sampling is carried out. There are two types of air sampling; viable and non-viable.

Before discussing Legionella analysis, let’s take a brief look at and understand Legionella.

What is Legionella?

Legionella is a pathogenic group of bacteria that is rod-shaped and gram-negative. It causes legionellosis; a group of deadly illnesses consisting primarily of Legionnaire’s Disease which is a more lethal form of pneumonia and other minor diseases like Lochgoilhead fever and Pontiac fever. Pontiac fever is a mild influenza-like illness, whereas Lochgoilhead fever is a mild form of lung infection.

To answer that, first we must explain what an entomopathogenic fungus is. Although, it is a fungus, its quality differentiates it from other fungi. Entomopathogenic fungus is a parasite, most known for killing or seriously disabling invertebrates. In short, it’s a form of insecticide that Mother Nature herself provides.

How Does This Work?

Usually, this dangerous fungus attaches itself to the outer body of the invertebrate in question, taking the form of microscopic spores. These spores will then germinate, but this will only happen if the conditions are right. That means that extremely high temperature and humidity is necessary to provide ideal growing conditions for any fungus.

After the germination period, spores go through their life-cycle. That eventually leads the germinated hyphae inside the insect’s body cavity. A proliferation process starts inside the host body, where the fungal cells attack and damage the entire working mechanism of the insect.

In many industries like hospitals, pharmaceutical laboratories, equipment manufacturers, biotech firms, plants, etc., there’s a need for a clean and healthy working environment. Such environments can only be maintained when there are little to no microorganisms present in the air and on surfaces. Various methods are employed to identify the different types of microorganisms present and minimize them.

Two of the most common methods used to sample microorganisms are air sampling and surface sampling. In surface sampling, the suspected surface is examined for identification of viable and non-viable microorganisms.