Kumiko Oguma

Photoreactivation of Escherichia coli after inactivation by a low-pressure (LP) UV lamp (254 nm), by a medium-pressure (MP) UV lamp (220 to 580 nm), or by a filtered medium-pressure (MPF) UV lamp (300 to 580 nm) was investigated. An endonuclease sensitive site (ESS) assay was used to determine the number of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers in the genomic DNA of E. coli, while a conventional cultivation assay was used to investigate the colony-forming ability (CFA) of E. coli. In photoreactivation ex

UV inactivation, photoreactivation, and dark repair of Escherichia coli and Cryptosporidium parvum were investigated with the endonuclease sensitive site (ESS) assay, which can determine UV-induced pyrimidine dimers in the genomic DNA of microorganisms. In a 99.9% inactivation of E. coli, high correlation was observed between the dose of UV irradiation and the number of pyrimidine dimers induced in the DNA of E. coli. The colony-forming ability of E. coli also correlated highly with the number o

A ring-shaped disinfection apparatus has been developed containing twenty ultraviolet-light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) with emission at 285 nm. The apparatus was applied to Escherichia coli, Qβ, MS2, and adenovirus in water. The reduction-equivalent fluence in the apparatus was determined, based on a modification of the protocol for the bench-scale challenge test by low-pressure (LP) UV lamp systems (LPUV). All species demonstrated log-linear inactivation profiles versus the fluence, and the inac

Abstract UV light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) offer various wavelength options, while microorganisms have spectral sensitivity, or so-called action spectra, which can be different among species. Accordingly, matching properly the emission spectra of UV-LEDs and the spectral sensitivity of microorganisms is a reasonable strategy to enhance inactivation. In this study, UV-LEDs with nominal peak emissions at 265, 280 and 300 nm were applied to pathogens including Legionella pneumophila, Pseudomonas a

The cause of Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in the rural dry zone of Sri Lanka remains unidentified, despite vast research efforts that brought about an extensive list of potential risk factors. Among these, the long-term exposure to various nephrotoxic elements through drinking groundwater was widely suspected owing to the unique geographical distribution of the disease. This review focuses on such well-known hypotheses suspecting the relations with fluoride, hardness, major

Ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) offer high flexibility in the reactor design for water disinfection. To specify the key design factors affecting the performance of a reactor, we examined how the arrangement of UV-LEDs in a cylindrical reactor affects the inactivation efficiency of Escherichia coli and coliphage Qβ. A ring-shaped UV-LED apparatus, composed of two units containing ten 285-nm UV-LEDs each, were attached to a quartz cylinder, and microbial suspensions flowed through the

Ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) are small mercury-free devices that can be installed at the point of use (POU) of water for disinfection. Considering that heterotrophic bacteria are of concern in drinking water systems, we applied a flow-through UV-LED apparatus to dechlorinated tap water, and determined the heterotrophic plate count (HPC) in samples after UV-LED exposure (UV+) compared to samples without UV-LED application (UV-). The UV+ and UV- samples were maintained at 20°C to tr

Abstract Ultraviolet (UV) radiation can damage the genome of microorganisms to hinder replication, thus can serve as a disinfection method. UV disinfection has been in practice for decades in a broad range of applications including water, air and solid surface disinfection. Conventional mercury vapor UV lamps have been used most commonly in such disinfection applications, while new UV radiation sources, such as UV light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs), possess a high potential for the expansion of UV

The effects of sodium chloride on photoreactivation of Escherichia coli were examined, assuming the discharge of ultraviolet (UV)-treated wastewater to water environment at different salinities. Suspensions of E. coli were first exposed to a low-pressure UV lamp in phosphate buffer to achieve 3 log inactivation, followed by an exposure to fluorescent light in NaCl solutions at the concentration of 1.0, 1.4, 1.9, 2.4 and 2.9 weight/volume %. When photoreactivation was completed in 3 h, survival r