Examination of total cell count in building materials by acridine orange direct count (AODC)

Abstract

The Acridine orange direct count (AODC) enables the determination of total cell count (TCC) in building materials. The AODC technique is considered as an analytic standard in many different areas but is not common in the indoor environment. In this paper AODC was tested with various building materials to investigate TCC. Colony forming units (CFU) only detect viable cells in contrast to the TCC assay which estimates total microbial contamination. The results show that the total cell count is a reliable and sensitive method to investigate the indoor environment.

Keywords: Acridine orange; Acridine orange direct count (AODC); Fluorescence microscopy; Fungal spores; Mould; Total cell count.