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Cold Atmospheric Pressure Microplasma Pipette for Disinfection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Geunyoung Nam1, Muhwan Kim2, Yeonsook Jang2

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Science & Technology, Gachon University, 191 Hambakmoe-ro, Incheon 21999, Korea.

Micromachines
|September 28, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Cold atmospheric pressure microplasma pipettes effectively disinfect bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains. This novel plasma technology shows promise for wound healing by reducing microbial load even through gauze dressings.

Area of Science:

  • Plasma Medicine
  • Microbiology
  • Wound Healing

Background:

  • Controlling microbial infections is crucial for wound healing and tissue regeneration.
  • Conventional disinfection methods face challenges like antibiotic resistance and pain.
  • Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) offers a unique, resistance-proof antibacterial approach.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate a cold atmospheric pressure microplasma pipette (CAPMP) for targeted disinfection.
  • To assess the CAPMP's efficacy against *Staphylococcus aureus* and methicillin-resistant *Staphylococcus aureus* (MRSA).
  • To investigate the influence of treatment time and gauze coverage on disinfection effectiveness.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a CAPMP device emitting an Argon (Ar) plasma plume through a narrow tube (180 μm inner radius).
  • Testing the CAPMP against *S. aureus* and MRSA in liquid media, on agar plates, and under dressing gauze.
  • Quantification of bacterial reduction using colony-forming unit (CFU) counts and assessment of the disinfected area.

Main Results:

  • Increased CAPMP treatment time led to a significant reduction in bacterial CFUs for both *S. aureus* and MRSA.
  • The effective disinfected area increased with longer treatment durations.
  • CAPMP demonstrated disinfection capabilities even when bacteria were covered by dressing gauze, with efficacy dependent on the number of gauze layers.

Conclusions:

  • The developed CAPMP is an effective tool for targeted microbial disinfection, overcoming antibiotic resistance.
  • This technology shows potential for applications in wound care and tissue regeneration by reducing bacterial load.
  • Further research into optimizing CAPMP parameters for different wound conditions and dressings is warranted.
Keywords:
antibacterial abilitycold atmospheric pressure plasmadisinfectionmethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusmicroplasma

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