TEMPERATURE,RELATIVE HUMIDITY,THE BACTERIAL LOAD, STORED CD PLATES

A compact disc, sometimes referred to as a CD, is an optical digital mediumthat canholdvarious types of data, including documents, audio, photos, and video. Understandingthebacterial load in stored CD plates is crucial to ensuring the longevity and integrity of CDs. Thisstudy determined the impact of temperature and relative humidity on bacteria load of storedCDplates at different locations (laboratory, lecture theatre and office). Thirty-six (36) CDplateswere purchased and positioned at these different locations (as opened, closed with perforationsand burnt with short video clips and opened). Temperature and relative humidity were monitoredwith thermometer and hygrometer, while bacterial count and identification were basedonstandard procedures for four weeks. Results obtained showed a fluctuation in temperature everyweek, but generally within the range of room temperature (30°C - 37°C) conversely, relativehumidity increased weekly in the studied locations. Bacteria counts of all CDplates studiedincreased with increase in humidity with time. Bacteria isolated from studied CDplates wereBacillus mycoides, Pseudomonads aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pumilus, Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescans. Conclusively, relative humidity had a positivecorrelation with bacteria load of the studies CD plate, while temperature had little effect onbacterial counts.