the exception of a moderate peak on day five and a high peak on day 

 seven in the crew-bridge and wet lab, respectively. 



The levels of airborne fungi in the wet lab were essentially of the same 

 levels found in TEKTITE-I, i.e. generally less than l/ft^ (Cobet & 

 Dimmick, 1970). The crew-bridge compartment had two high peaks of fungi 

 during the mission attaining a level of 20/ft3 on day six. This again 

 may be reflecting the greater diver activity and re-aerosolization from 

 linen and floor covering. The fungi were common saprophites consisting 

 mainly of Aspergillus and Penicillium . 



Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were not isolated from 

 the air on their respective isolation media. However, one ?s_. aeruginosa 

 colony was identified in the distribution on day 2-TSA in the crew- 

 bridge compartment and Staph , aureus was identified in both the crew and 

 wet compartments on days 13 and 2 respectively. 



The "carrier" of a pathogenic organism living in close association with 

 other people presents a potential hazard to his associates. The degree 

 of hazard depends on such conditions as type of organism (Airborne 

 Microbes, 1967), degree of crowding, and number of susceptibles (Miller, 

 1963) , environmental factors such as relative humidity and the degree 

 and type of lighting (Webb, 1961) and the temperature of the environ- 

 ment (Wright, e_t al • > 1969) as well as other factors. All divers were 

 negative for nasal Staph aureus at the start of the mission. Diver 1 

 was a positive nasal "carrier" by the end of the mission, the others 

 remaining negative. ' 



Staphylococcus aureus was isolated on diver 4 on the day of the dive only, 

 while diver 1 was positive by the middle of the dive remaining so through 

 the end of the mission. Staph aureus was isolated from the ears of 

 divers Land 3 at the end of the mission. 



There appears to have been an introduction of Staph , aureus into the 

 habitat on the skin of diver 4 which was picked up by diver 1 in both 

 the nasal and skin and ear flora, and diver 3 in the ear flora by the end 

 of the mission. Phage typing of these various isolates should reveal 

 whether this sequence of events did indeed occur and what relationship 

 exists between the divers and the airborne isolates from days 2 and 13. 



The skin and ear bacterial flora was of "normal" composition. However, 

 there was a greater variety of bacteria in the ear than on the skin. 



The comparing the distribution of bacteria isolated in the air of the 

 crew-bridge compartment with the skin flora certain points are noted. At 

 the start of the mission the major groups of organisms found in the air 

 are also found on the skin of at least one diver and those bacteria from 

 the skin flora were found in the air, (exceptions; Streptococcus and 

 Staphylococcus aureus ) . By the end of the mission both the airborne and 

 skin flora had simplified from 27 to 20 and 9 to 5, respectively. Those 



IX-50 



