An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils

Aerosols generated through volatilization and subsequent recondensation of oil vapors have been used as obscurant (smoke) screens during military operations since the early twentieth century. Specifically, a petroleum middle distillate known as the fog oil (FO) has been used in US military battlefie...

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Main Authors: Sangeetha Ramamurthy, Jonathan Kopel, David Westenberg, Shubhender Kapila
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-12-01
Series:Antibiotics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/12/1742
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author Sangeetha Ramamurthy
Jonathan Kopel
David Westenberg
Shubhender Kapila
author_facet Sangeetha Ramamurthy
Jonathan Kopel
David Westenberg
Shubhender Kapila
author_sort Sangeetha Ramamurthy
collection DOAJ
description Aerosols generated through volatilization and subsequent recondensation of oil vapors have been used as obscurant (smoke) screens during military operations since the early twentieth century. Specifically, a petroleum middle distillate known as the fog oil (FO) has been used in US military battlefields to create obscurant smoke screens. During a study on the feasibility of replacing petroleum-derived FO with vegetable oil-derived esters such as methyl soyate (MS), it was observed that that FO and MS aerosols and vapors did not exhibit detectable mutagenic activity but were lethal to Ames strains bacteria even after very short exposure periods. These results opened the potential use of oil-derived vapors as antimicrobial agents. Subsequent studies showed that optimal aerosol/vapor production conditions could further enhance disinfectant efficiency. For this purpose, we examined the antimicrobial activities of mineral oils and biogenic oil ester aerosols/vapors against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results of the study showed that the aerosols/vapors obtained from mineral oil or vegetable oil ester under proper conditions can serve as an excellent antibacterial disinfectant.
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spelling doaj.art-8ddbeaf8005c4216a387a571188705982023-11-24T12:53:36ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822022-12-011112174210.3390/antibiotics11121742An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of OilsSangeetha Ramamurthy0Jonathan Kopel1David Westenberg2Shubhender Kapila3Department of Microbiology, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65401, USASchool of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USADepartment of Microbiology, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65401, USADepartment of Chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65401, USAAerosols generated through volatilization and subsequent recondensation of oil vapors have been used as obscurant (smoke) screens during military operations since the early twentieth century. Specifically, a petroleum middle distillate known as the fog oil (FO) has been used in US military battlefields to create obscurant smoke screens. During a study on the feasibility of replacing petroleum-derived FO with vegetable oil-derived esters such as methyl soyate (MS), it was observed that that FO and MS aerosols and vapors did not exhibit detectable mutagenic activity but were lethal to Ames strains bacteria even after very short exposure periods. These results opened the potential use of oil-derived vapors as antimicrobial agents. Subsequent studies showed that optimal aerosol/vapor production conditions could further enhance disinfectant efficiency. For this purpose, we examined the antimicrobial activities of mineral oils and biogenic oil ester aerosols/vapors against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results of the study showed that the aerosols/vapors obtained from mineral oil or vegetable oil ester under proper conditions can serve as an excellent antibacterial disinfectant.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/12/1742antimicrobialsdisinfectantsvaporsfog oilmethyl soyatebacteria
spellingShingle Sangeetha Ramamurthy
Jonathan Kopel
David Westenberg
Shubhender Kapila
An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils
Antibiotics
antimicrobials
disinfectants
vapors
fog oil
methyl soyate
bacteria
title An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils
title_full An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils
title_fullStr An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils
title_full_unstemmed An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils
title_short An Initial Report of the Antimicrobial Activities of Volatiles Produced during Rapid Volatilization of Oils
title_sort initial report of the antimicrobial activities of volatiles produced during rapid volatilization of oils
topic antimicrobials
disinfectants
vapors
fog oil
methyl soyate
bacteria
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/12/1742
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