How Ultraviolet Helps With Colds And Flu Virus.

UV Rays and How They Clean

Ultraviolet rays with a certain UV-C wavelength will destroy pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, mold, and mildew. This component of sunlight is the main reason that microorganisms die in outdoor air. The UV-C rays break through microbes like yeast, mold, bacteria, viruses, or algae. When the radiation reaches the DNA of the microbe, it causes modifications. The DNA then transmits incorrect codes and this causes the death of the microbe.

Ultraviolet germicidal lamps provide a much more powerful and concentrated effect of ultraviolet energy than can be found naturally. UV Air Purification amps sanitize air that is passed directly in their path to destroy pathogens that come in contact with the UV rays. Musty, moldy type odors can be eradicated, along with viruses, smallpox, anthrax, and other airborne diseases. This system is partioularly beneficial to those suffering from allergies­common allergens are molds, mildews, and fungi. These microbes would be destroyed, improving the health of the allergy sufferer. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation has been studied since the 1930s, and has been used to destroy the same microbes that cause indoor air pollution. For many years, the medical industry has used UV light to sanitize rooms and equipment. The Centers for Disease Control recommend UV lamps for their germicidal effect.

Transmission

Influenza viruses pass from person to person mainly in droplets expelled during sneezes and coughs. When a person breathes in virus-laden droplets, the hemagglutinin on the surface of the virus binds to enzymes in the mucous membranes that line the respiratory tract. The enzymes, known as proteases, cut the hemagglutinin in two, which enables the virus to gain entry into cells and begin to multiply. These proteases are common in the respiratory and digestive tracts but not elsewhere, which is why the flu causes primarily a respiratory illness with occasional gastrointestinal symptoms. In the 1990s scientists discovered that some flu strains also can use the enzyme plasmin to cut hemagglutinin. Plasmin is common throughout the body, enabling the flu strains to infect a variety of tissues.

Although an influenza epidemic can occur at any time of year, flu season in temperate regions typically begins with the approach of winter-November in the Northern Hemisphere, April in the Southern Hemisphere. Flu viruses spread more easily during cold weather because people tend to spend more time crowded together in homes and schools, as well as buses, subways, and other places with poor ventilation.

Microbial Response to UV Light

The mechanism of disinfection by UV light differs considerably from chemical disinfectants such as chlorine and ozone. Chemical disinfectants inactivate microorganisms by destroying or damaging cellular structures, interfering with metabolism, and hinderingbiosynthesis and growth (Snowball and Hornsey 1988). UV light inactivates microorganisms by damaging their nucleic acid, thereby preventing the microorganism from replicating. A microorganism that cannot replicate cannot infect a host.

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It has been established that UV light will destroy the viruses, bacteria, and fungi in air passing in its path. UV can eliminate musty, mold related odors; prevent development of Legionella and other infectious diseases; control proliferation of TB bacterium; and reduce the spread of cold and flu viruses - as well as other airborne diseases. Ultraviolet germicidal lamps can destroy any microorganism that comes in contact with its powerful rays. This method is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for its germicidal effects, and has been used for many years by the medical field to sanitize rooms and equipment.

Ryptosporidium

Ryptosporidium is a small parasite, measuring about 3-5 IJm. It lives on (or just under) the surface of the cells lining the small intestine, reproduces asexually, and oocysts are passed in the feces. Transmission of the infection occurs via the oocysts. Many human infections have been traced to the contamination of drinking water with oocysts from agricultural "run-off' (i.e., drainage from pastures), so it is considered a zoonosis.

In most patients infected with Cryptosporidiosis the infection causes a short term, mild diarrhea. Since such symptoms are associated with a number of ailments, infected individuals may not seek medical treatment, and the infection may subside on its own. Thus, it is difficult to say how many people are infected. On the other hand, in persons with compromised immune systems, this parasite can cause a pronounced, chronic diarrhea; in severe cases the infected individual may produce up to 15 Iiters/day of stools, and this may go on for weeks or months. Needless to say, such an infection, if not fatal unto itself, can exacerbate other opportunitistic infections common in immuno-compromised hosts.

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General Information About Respiratory Infections

When considering infections of the human respiratory tract, the actual site of preliminary infection depends upon the size of the invading organism. The smaller the pathogen, the more likely it will be able to access more sensitive regions located deeper in the respiratory tract. Cilia in the upper respiratory tract is able to brush out many invading bacteria. However, small bacteria can circumnavigate the cilia and colonize the deeper, less ciliated regions of the respiratory tract. For example, entery into the Alveolar region can enable a pathogen to avoid the mucocilliary clearance mechanism altogether. The following list illustrates the relation between particle size and the putative infection site:

Greater than 10 microns..............Nose and Throat
Between 5 and 10 microns...........Upper and Lower Respiratory Tracts
Between 2 and 5 microns.............Lung and Conducting Airways
Less than 2 microns....................Gas Exchange Area (Alveolar Region)

Specific Information on Haemophilus influneza

Haemophilus influenza is an airborne pathogen, Hib disease is spread through the air whenever an infected person sneezes or coughs. The disease will continue to be disseminated for as long as an indiviudal remains ill. In some cases, a patient who appears well may still harbour the virulent pathogen in the nose and airways, thus continuing to spread the disease.

Owing to its size, Haemophilus influenza infections are associated with the upper and lower respiratory tracts. For this reason, it must contend with the ciliated epithelial cell defense of the respiratory tract. Adherance to this ciliated mucosal surface is one step in the pathway of transmission and establishemnt in a host. Haemophilus influneza produces a ciliostatic substance to prevent the cilia from brushing the bacteria away. However, this substance is produced only after the bacteria is established, and it is not the primary mechanism of transmission.

In fact, the exact mechanism of transmission, besides the obvious airborne aspect, it not well understood for this organism. Somehow, once Haemophilus influneza becomes established in the respiratory tract, it enters into the meningial tissues via the blood stream. Presumably, the bacteria exploits the close associations of the respiratory tract with the circulatory tract to gain access.

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