Effects on viability, culturability, and cells fragmentation of two bioaerosol generators during aerosolization of E. coli bacteria

This study performs a comparative investigation of two bioaerosol generators: the Sparging Liquid Aerosol Generator (SLAG) by CH Technologies and the 1520 Flow Focusing Monodisperse Aerosol Generator (FMAG) by TSI. The analysis concentrated on the vitality, culturability, fragmentation, and nebulization efficiency of E. coli cells. The results indicated increased fragmentation using the SLAG nebulizer, and the size distribution varied according to the concentration of the injection fluid for FMAG. Both nebulizers imposed significant stress on bacteria during nebulization, halving their viability. Ultimately, the nebulization efficiency of FMAG is twenty times higher than that of SLAG.