Disinfection of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms using a remote non-thermal gas plasma

The effective disinfection of hospital surfaces is recognised as an important factor in preventing hospital-acquired infections. The purpose of this study was to quantify the disinfection rate of a novel gas plasma system on clinically relevant biofilms. Clinical isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were grown as biofilms on glass surfaces and tested in a disinfection container remote from the plasma source. The strains used in this study were known to produce substantial quantities of biofilm and average log₁₀ counts were 9.0 and 9.1 cfu/cm² for S. epidermidis and MRSA respectively. Counts were reduced by between 4 and 4.5 log₁₀ after 1h of exposure for MRSA and S. epidermidis respectively. More prolonged treatment in the case of MRSA biofilms resulted in a 5.5 log₁₀ reduction after 90min. Biofilm samples were also placed in medical device packaging bags and similar rates of disinfection were observed.