The Inactivation of Resistant Candida Albicans in a Sealed Package by Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas

• Published in: Plasma processes and polymers Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 17 - 21
• Main Authors: Song, Ying, Liu, Dongping, Ji, Longfei, Wang, Wenchun, Zhao, Pengchao, Quan, Chunshan, Niu, Jinhai, Zhang, Xianhui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.01.2012; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley-VCH
• Subjects: atmospheric-pressure plasmas; cold plasmas; Exact sciences and technology; nonequilibrium plasmas; optical emission spectrum (OES); Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma devices; plasma medicine; Atmospheric pressure; Plasma devices; Experimental study; plasma medicine; atmospheric-pressure plasmas; Cold plasma; nonequilibrium plasmas; optical emission spectrum (OES); Emission spectra; Non-equilibrium plasma; Plastics; cold plasmas; Low temperature
• ISSN: 1612-8850; 1612-8869
• DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201100075

It remains a challenge to generate cold, atmospheric pressure plasmas in sealed packages for biological disinfection. In this paper, we report a plasma device to form large‐area and atmospheric‐pressure plasmas in a sealed package for the low‐temperature disinfection of fungi. The visually uniform plasmas were easily generated in the portable plastic bag containing Candida albicans with a population of 105 spores placed on the plasma device. The He plasma containing about 1% O2 was found to entirely kill resistant Candida albicans with a treatment time of 5 min. Measurements for optical emission spectra and disinfection efficiencies indicate that the plasma‐created species such as O radicals and charged species play a major role in the inactivation process. In this work, we propose a plasma device able to produce macroscopically uniform plasmas at atmospheric pressure which can be used for plasma‐assisted disinfections. The resistant Candida albicans in a sealed package was used for our disinfection experiments. The results indicated that the O radicals, along with charged species are main contributors in plasma inactivation by this method.