Effect of liquid modified by non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasmas on bacteria inactivation rates

Summary form only given. Several studies compared two dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment regimes and their effect on viable bacteria inactivation e.g.. Significant difference was shown between direct and indirect treatments where plasma either contacts the surface being treated or does not. The sterilization efficiency drops by almost an order of magnitude when plasma is generated remotely (indirectly). However, this effect was mostly found on uniform surfaces such as agarous gel. In wounds for example, bacteria can often “hide” in pores. Therefore in the case of plasma treatment of wounds and other complex surfaces, irregularities in surface topology prevent effective implementation of direct plasma treatment. In this case, plasma related inactivation effect is believed to be delivered by neutral active species produced by the discharge in liquids (e.g. water, blood, etc.) present at the wound site, i.e. so-called plasma “pharmacological” effect.