Handheld device uses plume of plasma to rid skin of bacteria
Chinese and Australian scientists have developed a handheld, battery-powered plasma-producing device that can rid skin of bacteria in an instant.
The plasma flashlight, described in IOP Publishing’s Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics is driven by a 12V battery and does not require any external generator or wall power; in addition, it does not require any external gas feed or handling system.
According to a statement, the plasma flashlight has been shown to effectively inactivate a thick biofilm of Enterococcus faecalis, an antibiotic- and heat-resistant bacterium that often infects the root canals during dental treatments.
The biofilms were created by incubating the bacteria for seven days. The biofilms were around 25 micrometres thick and consisted of 17 different layers of bacteria. Each one was treated for five minutes with the plasma flashlight and then analysed to see how much of the bacteria survived.
Results showed that the plasma not only inactivated the top layer of cells but penetrated deep into the very bottom of the layers to kill the bacteria.
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