High-risk microbial pathogens are handled in a biosafety laboratory. After experiments, the pathogens may remain as contaminants. To safely manage a biosafety laboratory, disinfection of microbial contaminants is necessary. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of UV-C irradiation for the disinfection of a high-risk plant pathogenic bacterium Erwinia amylovora in a laboratory setting. For the test, the bacterium (8.7 × 106 CFU/ml) was embedded on the surface of PDA and placed on the work surface in a biosafety cabinet (Class 2 Type A1), and on the three different surfaces of the laboratory bench, laboratory bench shelf, and the floor which were positioned in a straight line from the UV lamp installed in the ceiling of the biosafety laboratory (BSL 2 class). UV-C irradiation was administered for 10min, 30min, 1 hr, 2hr, 3 hr, and 4hr, respectively. The reduction rate of bacteria ranged from 95% to 99% in regard to 10 min irradiation, from 97% to 99% in regard to 30 min irradiation, from 99.8% to 99.9% in regard to 1 hr irradiation, and higher than 99.99% in regard to 2 hr irradiation. The bacterium was completely inactivated after 3 hr irradiation. A similar UV-C irradiation effect was obtained when the bacterium was placed at a distance of 1 m from the three different surface points. Bacterial reduction by UV-C irradiation was not significantly different among the three different surface points.

This study was conducted to obtain basic information for the use of the ATP fluorescence detection method in consideration of the most common and frequent contamination situation that occurs in laboratories dealing with fire blight causing bacterium, Erwinia amylovora. ATP luminescence measurements (Relative Light Unit, RLU) were tested against these pathogen cells (CFU/cm2) which were artificially introduced on the disinfected surface of a bench floor of a biosafety cabinet (Class 2 Type A1), on a part of the disinfected surface of a lab experimental bench, on a part of the disinfected floor, and on a part of the disinfected floor of an acryl chamber for bioaerosol studies in a biosafety laboratory (BSL 2 class) using two different ATP bioluminometers. RLU values were not much increased with the bacterial cells from 2.15 × 102/cm2 to 2.15 × 106/cm2. RLU values varied among the four different surfaces tested. RLU values measured from the same number of bacterial cells differed little between the two different ATP bioluminometers used for this study. RLU values obtained from bacterial cells higher than 2.15 × 107/cm2 indicated the presence of bacterial contamination on the four different surfaces tested. The R2 values obtained based on the correlation data for the RLU values in response to different E. amylovora cell numbers (CFU/ cm2) on the surfaces of the four test spots ranged from 0.9827 to 0.9999.

화상병균(Erwinia amylovora)에 의해 발생하는 과수 화상병은 주로 사과, 배 등의 장미과 식물에서 발병한다. 과수 화상병은 국내에서 금지 병원균으로 지정되어 있으며, 2015년 경기도 안성의 배과수원에서 최초 발견되었다. 그러나, 현재까지 근본적인 방제약제가 없는 상황으로 발생지는 매몰이 최선의 방법으로 여겨진다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 2019년을 기준으로 충북지역의 과수 화상병 발생 원인 분석을 통하여 발생 경로 차단을 위한 역학조사를 실시하였다. 1. 충주시 등 3개 시군의 전체 221농가 141ha에서 과수 화상병이 발생하였으며, 세부적인 연도별 발생현황은 2015년(2농가 1ha), 2018년(74농가 51.5ha), 2019년(145농가 88.9ha) 로 나타났다. 2. 과수 화상병의 발생시기는 주로 5월부터 8월 사이로 나타났으며, 특히 6월(73.8%)이 가장 많이 발생하였으며, 7월 (17.2%), 5월(7.6%), 8월(1.4%)순으로 나타났다. 3. 과수 화상병 발생 의심 신고 후 확진 매몰까지 소요기간은 11.9일이었고, 발생에서 매몰까지의 기간은 최단 5일에서 최장 19일로 조사되었다. 4. 병원균의 최초 발생지로부터의 확산 거리는 평균 21 km로 나타났으며 가장 먼거리는 음성군 비산면으로 34 km였다.