‘Microplasma jet arrays produce highly reactive molecules that arrest the activities of bacterial cells. When they were used for at least 15 minutes, the cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were effectively inactivated.’
Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a rod-shaped bacterium is the cause of most middle-ear infections. The researchers from Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology analyzed the use of a microplasma jet array to clear the pathogen in the middle ear. Microplasma refers to the low-temperature plasma that generates reactive molecules containing the potential to clear off infectious organisms.
They mimicked the middle-ear of humans by using an excised rat eardrum. The team used a microplasma jet array for different durations and found that therapy with a minimum duration of 15 minutes was effective enough to destruct the bacterial cells.
“We think that the microplasma disrupts the biofilm by disturbing the bacterial cell membrane. So far, we only have indirect measurements supporting our idea, but we will look into it in the future,” said Helen Nguyen (IGOH), one of the authors of the study.
Currently, the team is working on a smaller jet array that helps in extending the exposure times of therapy . They have also planned to experiment with this technology on other middle-ear infection-causing bacteria like Haemophilus influenzae , Streptococcus pneumoniae , and Moraxella catarrhalis .
Source: Medindia
