Predicting Inactivation of Bacillus subtilis Spores Exposed to Broadband and Solar Ultraviolet Light

This study develops general predictive models for the ultraviolet (UV) radiation dose–response behavior of Bacillus subtilis spores to solar UV irradiation that occurs in the environment and broadband UV irradiation used in water disinfection systems. The approach is demonstrated using previously obtained experimental survival rates for B. subtilis spores deposited on dry surfaces as well as in water and exposed to both narrow band UV radiation as well as broadband UV irradiation from solar exposure and disinfectant lamps. Results are modeled to derive predicted survival rates for spores as a function of irradiance intensity and wavelength, capability for repair, and depletion of available sites for UV damage. The essential features of the approach are expression of the inactivation action spectrum in terms of the probability of an incident photon being absorbed and forming a dimer lesion, and expression of the spore survival as a cumulative binomial distribution for damage. The results provide increased accuracy in estimating dispersed biological hazards, and evaluating the effectiveness of UV air and water disinfectant systems. In addition, the approach for the first time explains the observed reduced inactivation rate in a repair-capable strain compared with a sensitive, repair-deficient strain by accounting for the depletion of available lesion-forming sites due to increasing DNA damage.