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Published on: June 4, 2021
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Histotripsy-Induced Bactericidal Activity Correlates to Size of Cavitation Cloud In Vitro
Summary
Therapeutic ultrasound using histotripsy can kill bacteria in abscesses. Bacterial inactivation linearly correlates with the size of the cavitation cloud produced, offering a potential noninvasive treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Acoustics
- Microbiology
Background:
- Abscesses are bacterial collections resistant to antibiotics, often requiring invasive drainage.
- Current treatments for abscesses have high rehospitalization rates.
- Therapeutic ultrasound offers a potential noninvasive alternative for abscess treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between histotripsy parameters and bacterial inactivation.
- To determine if cavitation cloud size correlates with bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Main Methods:
- Histotripsy was applied to E. coli suspensions using various acoustic parameters (810 kHz, 1.2 MHz, 3.25 MHz) for 40 minutes.
- High-speed photography captured cavitation activity.
- Cavitation cloud area was quantified and correlated with bacterial inactivation.
Main Results:
- Bacterial inactivation showed a linear relationship with the cavitation cloud size.
- This correlation was independent of the specific acoustic parameters used to generate the cavitation.
Conclusions:
- Cavitation cloud size is a key factor in histotripsy-induced bacterial inactivation.
- Histotripsy shows promise as a noninvasive method for treating abscesses by targeting bacteria.
