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The antimicrobial effects of helium and helium–air plasma on S taphylococcus aureus and C lostridium difficile
Author(s) -
Galvin S.,
Cahill O.,
O'Connor N.,
Cafolla A.A.,
Daniels S.,
Humphreys H.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/lam.12091
Subject(s) - staphylococcus aureus , human decontamination , disinfectant , clostridium difficile , microbiology and biotechnology , helium , antimicrobial , bacteria , chemistry , medicine , biology , antibiotics , genetics , organic chemistry , pathology
Healthcare‐associated infections ( HCAI ) affect 5–10% of acute hospital admissions. Environmental decontamination is an important component of all strategies to prevent HCAI as many bacterial causes survive and persist in the environment, which serve as ongoing reservoirs of infection. Current approaches such as cleaning with detergents and the use of chemical disinfectant are suboptimal. We assessed the efficacy of helium and helium–air plasma in killing S taphylococcus aureus and C lostridium difficile on a glass surface and studied the impact on bacterial cells using atomic force microscopy ( AFM ). Both plasma types exhibited bactericidal effects on S taph. aureus (log3·6 – >log7), with increased activity against methicillin‐resistant strains, but had a negligible effect on C l. difficile spores (<1log). AFM demonstrated cell surface disruption. The addition of air increased the microbicidal activity of the plasma and decreased the exposure time required for an equivalent log reduction. Further evaluation of cold plasma systems is warranted with, for example, different bacteria and on surfaces more reminiscent of the health care environment as this approach has potential as an effective decontaminant. Significance and Impact of the Study Many bacterial causes of healthcare infection can survive in the inanimate environment for lengthy periods and be transmitted to patients. Furthermore, current methods of environmental decontamination such as detergents, chemical disinfectants or gaseous fumigation are suboptimal for a variety of reasons. We assessed the efficacy of helium and helium–air plasma as a decontaminant and demonstrated a significant reduction in bacterial counts of Staphylococcus aureus on a glass surface. Atomic force microscopy morphologically confirmed the impact on bacterial cells. This approach warrants further study as an alternative to current options for hospital hygiene.