AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Generation and Characterization of Large Particle Aerosols Using the Center Flow Tangential Aerosol Generator for Nonhuman Primate Aerosol Models
KYLE BOHANNON, Matthew Lackemeyer, Jens Kuhn, Jiro Wada, Lisa Hensley, Peter Jahrling, Reed Johnson, NIAID
Abstract Number: 552 Working Group: Bioaerosols
Abstract Aerosol droplets of saliva and other respiratory secretions ranging from .05-500 micro-meter can be generated from coughing, sneezing, talking, and exhalation. These droplets can vary in particle size and have the potential to carry infectious viruses and bacteria. To improve public health preparedness and medical countermeasure development for airborne microorganisms, a well characterized animal model is required to develop prophylaxis and therapeutics. Generally, non-human primates (NHPs) are the desired animal model of choice for studying the infectivity of inhaled infectious agents. Very few NHP studies have examined the correlation of bioaerosol particle size and infectivity using particles ranging from 1 to 20 micro-meter. In general, aerosol generation of small particles (<3 micro-meter) penetrate deep within the alveolar region, whereas aerosolization of large particles (7-10 micro-meter) move within the nasopharyngeal region, depositing within the nose, mouth, pharynx, and larynx. Particles that are intermediate in size (3-6 micro-meter) will deposit within the tracheobronchial region. Controlling the particle size and evaluating the site of infection will further refine the NHP models and thus facilitate countermeasure development. The purpose of this research is to provide a simple, viable method to generate and deliver large particle aerosols using the Center Flow Tangential Aerosol Generator (CenTAG, CH Technologies Inc., USA). The CenTAG is a large particle aerosol generator that can produce aerosol particles ranging from 5-14 micro-meter in size. Testing different regional deposition patterns in a NHP respiratory tract can improve experiments in determining an infectious dose that mimics human disease in a NHP aerosol model.