Abstract
Bio-contaminated surfaces were exposed to an atmospheric pressure flowing post-discharge, i.e. without direct contact of the plasma with the surface. The non-thermal plasma source was a dielectric barrier discharge. Using humid argon as a feed gas, a reduction of six orders of magnitude of survivors could be obtained for Escherichia coli. An investigation of bacterial inactivation mechanisms during the plasma induced treatment was conducted. For this purpose, DNA (plasmid and genomic DNA in aqueous solution) degradation by the plasma process was studied, assuming that the bacterial inactivation is obtained when the bacterial DNA is fragmented. According to the operating conditions (feed gas, reactor geometry and discharge input power), DNA fragmentation was evaluated in correlation with aqueous phase hydrogen peroxide concentration measurements. It appears that hydrogen peroxide is not the only factor responsible for DNA fragmentation and that short-lived species produced by water dissociation are major contributors.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Lee HW, Park GY, Seo YS, Im YH, Shim SB, Lee HJ (2011) Modelling of atmospheric pressure plasmas for biomedical applications. J Phys D Appl Phys 44:053001 (27pp)
Kong MG, Groesen G, Morfill G, Nosenko T, Shimizu T, van Dijk J, Zimmermann JL (2009) Plasma medicine: an introductory review. New J Phys 11:115012
Laroussi M (2009) Low-temperature plasmas for medicine? IEEE Trans Plasma Sci 37(6)
Boudam MK, Saoudi B, Moisan M, Ricard A (2007) Characterization of the flowing afterglows of an N2-O2 reduced pressure discharge: setting the operating conditions to achieve a dominant late afterglow and correlating the NOβ UV intensity variation with the N and O atom densities. J Phys D: Appl Phys 40:1694
Sarrette J-P, Cousty S, Merbahi N, Nègre-Salvayr A, Clément F (2010) Observation of antibacterial effects obtained at atmospheric and reduced pressures in afterglow conditions. Eur Phys J Appl Phys 49:13108
Villeger S, Cousty S, Ricard A, Sixou M (2003) Sterilization of E. Coli bacterium in a flowing N2-O2 post-discharge reactor. J Phys D: Appl Phys 36:60–62
Kamgang-Youbi G, Herry J-M, Meylheuc T, Brisset J-L, Bellon-Fontaine M-N, Doubla A, Naitali M (2009) Microbial inactivation using plasma-activated water obtained by gliding electric discharges. Lett Appl Microbiol 48(1):13–18
Pointu AM, Ricard A, Odic E, Ganciu M (2008) Nitrogen atmospheric pressure post discharges for surface biological decontamination inside small diameter tubes. Plasma Processes Polym 5(6):559
Oehmigen K, Hähnel M, Brandenburg R, Wilke Ch, Weltmann K-D, von Woedtke Th (2010) The role of acidification for antimicrobial activity of atmospheric pressure plasma in liquids. Plasma Processes Polym Special Issue: Plasma Medicine 7(3–4):250–257
Rahman M, Tanino M, Hashimoto M, Nakano M, Yasuda H, Takashima K, Mizuno A (2008) Fundamental study on quasi-real-time detection of airborne bio-particles using discharge plasma. Thin Solid Films 516:6699–6703
Yasuda H, Miura T, Kurita H, Takashima K, Mizuno A (2010) Biological evaluation of DNA damage in bacteriophages inactivated by atmospheric pressure cold plasma. Plasma Processes Polym Special Issue: Plasma Medicine 7(3–4):301–308
Hibert C, Gaurand I, Motret O, Pouvesle JM (1999) [OH(X)] measurements by resonant absorption spectroscopy in a pulsed dielectric barrier discharge. J Appl Phys 85(10):7070
Kirkpatrick MJ, Dodet B, Odic E (2007) Atmospheric pressure humid argon DBD plasma for the application of sterilization – measurement and simulation of hydrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen peroxide formation. Int J Plasma Environ Sci Technol 1(1):96–101
Dodet B, Odic E, Goldman A, Goldman M, Renard D (2005) Hydrogen peroxide formation by discharges in argon/water vapor mixtures at atmospheric pressure. J Adv Oxid Technol 8(1):91–97
Dong B, Bauchire JM, Pouvesle JM, Magnier P, Hong D (2008) Experimental study of a DBD surface discharge for the active control of subsonic airflow. J Phys D: Appl Phys 41:155201
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Odic, E., Limam, S., Kirkpatrick, M.J., Dodet, B., Salamitou, S., DuBow, M.S. (2012). Investigations of Bacterial Inactivation and DNA Fragmentation Induced by Flowing Humid Argon Post-discharge. In: Machala, Z., Hensel, K., Akishev, Y. (eds) Plasma for Bio-Decontamination, Medicine and Food Security. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series A: Chemistry and Biology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2852-3_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2852-3_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2851-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2852-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)