Plasma Sterilization Experiments

The purpose of this project was to investigate the feasibility of antibacterial plasma treatment of biological tissue. A low- temperature plasma was produced in air that killed 1E5-1E6 bacterial populations on synthetic skin in under 20 seconds. The bacteria used was Staphylococcus epidermis and the skin surface consisted of human keratinized cells. While there was no visible damage to the skin, caution is advised in applying this to live organisms until more research is done. Further work on electroporation of skin in the presence of electric fields needs to be considered. The electrical resistance of the skin relies on intact layers so particular care should be used in considering antibacterial electrical treatments for wound management. For intact skin, plasma treatment shows potential for controlling bacterial growth in situations where an imbalance in the normal microbiota has occurred. For this application, cycled treatment may be optimum.