Survival of the Vegetative and Spore Forms of Bacteria Irradiated in Pharmaceutical Powders

The radiosensitivity of both vegetative and spore forms of bacteria in pharmaceutical powders was studied as a function of the dose delivered. A method has been elaborated for performing sterility tests. The radiation resistance of dried Escherichia coli irradiated in thyreoidea powder increased two or three fold. The results for the colony building ability of the irradiated bacteria varied with the experimental methods and conditions used. On the basis of the results it is clear that the sterilizing dose has to be worked out for each particular product since the radiation resistance of bacteria varies with the specific conditions of preparation and the Dhysical and biological factors. (author)