A Systematic Literature Review of Indoor Air Disinfection Techniques for Airborne Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens

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Thi Tham Nguyen1, Graham R Johnson2, Scott C Bell3,4,5

  • 1School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|February 15, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Air disinfection techniques show promise for reducing airborne bacteria, with over 80% of studies demonstrating effectiveness. However, comparing methods is difficult due to varied research and real-world applicability remains unclear.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Infectious disease control
  • Public health

Background:

  • Airborne respiratory pathogens pose a significant global health burden.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic heightened interest in indoor airborne pathogen transmission control.
  • Bacterial respiratory pathogens are a substantial component of communicable disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review laboratory studies on air disinfection techniques for airborne respiratory bacteria.
  • To assess the effectiveness of various air disinfection methods against bacterial pathogens.
  • To identify gaps in current research regarding air disinfection efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases.
  • Inclusion of quantitative, laboratory-based studies following PRISMA guidelines.
  • Detailed assessment of 517 articles, with 26 meeting inclusion and quality criteria.

Main Results:

  • Seven air disinfection techniques (e.g., UV-C light, filtration, face masks) were evaluated against 13 bacterial pathogens.
  • Over 80% of studies indicated that air disinfection techniques were more effective than control conditions.
  • Methodological heterogeneity and limited study numbers prevented direct technique comparison.

Conclusions:

  • Laboratory studies demonstrate proof-of-concept for air disinfection techniques against bacteria.
  • The generalizability of laboratory findings to real-world settings requires further investigation.
  • More standardized research is needed to compare the efficacy of different air disinfection methods.
Keywords:
air disinfection techniquesairborne transmissionbioaerosolslaboratory-based studies

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