Trial with the environmental dept. Of Oregon University.

Utilizing the unique advanced indoor simulator developed by Dr Jessica Green and her team of the University of Oregon,  betterair was called to show its merits under  various conditions and pathogens kinds. It made possible by the ability to introduce pathogens into the chamber in a accurate and controlled manner,                                  

University Of Oregon – Enviro-Biotics® Trial

betterair had chosen the BioBe (Biology and Built Environment) research center at the University of Oregon, led by Dr. Jessica Green, a world-renowned pioneer of building microbiome studies. 

BioBe and betterair initiated collaborative research on the impact of betterair Enviro-Biotics® technology on an indoor microbiome.   The University of Oregon’s unique climate control simulation chamber was specifically equipped, offering a controlled introduction of pathogens that were measured catalogued and quantified. Into that setup, the microbial viability of Enviro-Biotics® treatment on surfaces and the antagonistic effect against indoor pathogenic microbes had been measured.

Plates were preloaded with either live or sterilized human-associated microbial communities (HAMC), which were obtained from homogenized and filtered vacuum cleaner dust sourced from three distinct occupied Buildings. The course of treatment was two weeks using betterair’s Biotica 800 device with standard settings in the Climate Chamber (25.75 m3) with humidity, air temperature, and air exchange rates held constant throughout the duration of the experiment and within the range typical of residential/commercial buildings. Air exchange was held at the minimum acceptable via ASHRAE standards for occupied office buildings. All incoming air was filtered to MERV 15.

Proven efficacy against pathogens

The probiotic treatment exhibited a clear antagonistic effect against three typical indoor microbial pathogens:

Escherichia coli – a pathogenic bacteria causing a wide range of human related infections.

Staphylococcus epidermidis – a common pathogen that infects patients with compromised immune systems, namely in hospitals.

Cladosporium sp. – an indoor pathogenic mold. Its airborne spores are significant allergens that severely affect asthmatics. 

The inhibition effect over E. Coli and S. epidermidis is depicted in Fig. 1. Continuous application for 14 days suppressed the pathogenic bacteria counts in comparison to the control.

Following the 14 days treatment regime, the E. coli and S. epidermidis counts in the un-treated-control increased dramatically, while their counts in the treated samples were kept low due to the probiotic inhibition effect.

 The antagonistic effect against Cladosporium sp. was even more impressive as can be seen in Fig. 2: Cladosporium sp. counts increased significantly more over time in control versus treated samples (Fig. 2; χ2 = 12.3, P < 0.001).

Therefore, it can be concluded that from the 8th day onwards, a significant antagonistic effect was demonstrated over the Cladosporium sp. pathogenic fungi. The antagonistic effect against Cladosporium sp. was even more impressive as can be seen in Fig. 2: Cladosporium sp. counts increased significantly more over time in control versus treated samples (Fig. 2; χ2 = 12.3, P < 0.001).

 

Conclusion

 

The Enviro-Biotics® treatment exhibited a clear antagonistic effect against the pathogens introduced into the climate controlled chamber –  Escherichia coliStaphylococcus epidermidis and Cladosporium sp.  Their existence is not incidental as these species are highly popular among typical indoor microbial pathogens. These are known to be harmful to people, able to cause a wide range of human acquired illnesses

 

Learn more of buildings’ microbiome by listening to Dr. Jessica Green lecture on TED platform : Are we filtering the wrong microbes?