Aerosol particles expelled during human coughs are a potential pathway for infectious disease transmission. However, the importance of airborne transmission is unclear for many diseases. To better understand the role of cough aerosol particles in the spread of disease and the efficacy of different types of protective measures, we constructed a cough aerosol simulator that produces a human-like cough in a controlled environment. The simulated cough has a 4.2 l volume and is based on coughs recorded from influenza patients. In one configuration, the simulator produces a cough aerosol containing particles from 0.1 to 100 μm in diameter with a volume median diameter (VMD) of 8.5 μm and a geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 2.9. In a second configuration, the cough aerosol has a size range of 0.1–30 μm, a VMD of 3.4 μm, and a GSD of 2.3. The total aerosol volume expelled during each cough is 68 μl. By generating a controlled and reproducible artificial cough, the simulator allows us to test different ventilation, disinfection, and personal protection scenarios. The system can be used with live pathogens, including influenza virus, which allows isolation precautions used in the healthcare field to be tested without risk of exposure for workers or patients. The information gained from tests with the simulator will help to better understand the transmission of infectious diseases, develop improved techniques for infection control, and improve safety for healthcare workers and patients. Copyright 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research

中文翻译：

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用于研究人类咳嗽产生的气溶胶疾病传播的咳嗽气溶胶模拟器


人类咳嗽时排出的气溶胶颗粒是传染病传播的潜在途径。然而，空气传播对于许多疾病的重要性尚不清楚。为了更好地了解咳嗽气溶胶颗粒在疾病传播中的作用以及不同类型防护措施的功效，我们构建了一个咳嗽气溶胶模拟器，可以在受控环境中产生类似人类的咳嗽。模拟咳嗽体积为 4.2 升，基于流感患者的咳嗽记录。在一种配置中，模拟器产生含有直径为 0.1 至 100 μm 的颗粒的咳嗽气雾剂，体积中值直径 (VMD) 为 8.5 μm，几何标准差 (GSD) 为 2.9。在第二种配置中，咳嗽气雾剂的尺寸范围为0.1-30μm，VMD为3.4μm，GSD为2.3。每次咳嗽时排出的气溶胶总量为 68 μl。通过产生受控且可重复的人工咳嗽，模拟器使我们能够测试不同的通风、消毒和个人防护场景。该系统可用于包括流感病毒在内的活病原体，从而可以测试医疗保健领域使用的隔离预防措施，而不会导致工作人员或患者面临暴露风险。从模拟器测试中获得的信息将有助于更好地了解传染病的传播，开发改进的感染控制技术，并提高医护人员和患者的安全。版权所有 2013 美国气溶胶研究协会