Decontamination of Hospital Surfaces With Multijet Cold Plasma: A Method to Enhance Infection Prevention and Control?

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biophysics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a significant threat in hospital environments.
• Current decontamination methods may require enhancement to combat resilient pathogens.
• Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) like MRSA, VRE, ESBL-E. coli, and A. baumannii are major contributors to HAIs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the decontamination efficacy of a multijet cold plasma system.
• To evaluate its effectiveness on common hospital surfaces: stainless steel and mattress.
• To investigate the impact of organic material (Human serum albumin - HSA) on plasma efficacy.

Main Methods:

• In vitro study using four key HAI-causing bacteria: MRSA, VRE, ESBL-E. coli, and A. baumannii.
• Bacterial cultures applied to stainless steel and mattress surfaces, with and without HSA.
• Exposure to a cold-air-plasma-generating multijet prototype for varying durations (15-45 seconds).
• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) used to analyze bacterial cell morphology post-treatment.

Main Results:

• Significant log reductions (3-6 logs) in bacterial load achieved on both surfaces within 45 seconds.
• Efficacy demonstrated across all tested bacteria, including MDROs.
• Presence of HSA did not significantly impede bacterial eradication.
• AFM revealed morphological changes (etching) in bacterial cells, indicating plasma's disruptive action.

Conclusions:

• The multijet cold plasma system demonstrates potent antimicrobial activity against common hospital pathogens.
• It effectively decontaminates stainless steel and mattress surfaces, even in the presence of organic matter.
• Further clinical evaluation is warranted to confirm its utility as an adjunct to existing hospital environmental decontamination strategies.