Electric discharges for biological applications

Contact: Vítězslav Kříha

vyboje-pro-bio-300x201The group is focus on the ability of low-temperature plasma (NTP) to affect growth of microorganisms. The ability of NTP to reduce, to slow down or rather completely stop microorganism multiplication has already been known and it represents an effective method of decontamination and sterilization. In comparison with other methods used in practice, it doesn’t bring many unwanted consequences (for example it is impossible to treat food or biologic surfaces with aggressive chemical agents, it is impossible to sterilize thermal sensitive objects by increased temperature) and thus the NTP seems to be a good alternative.

Microorganisms are basically omnipresent in our surroundings and without symbiotic relationship with some of them the human life would be problematic. The situation is worse when the pathogenic microorganisms are overpopulated. We make efforts to minimize quantity of pathogenic microorganisms on objects with which people are in contact because the resulting medical treatment would be complicated.

It is well known at present that electric discharges cause NTP creation and NTP affects many microorganisms (in a positive way from human point of view). The long term goal of the group is to analyze the influence of different types of discharges and their different parameters on model organisms. At the same time we aim to optimize these parameters in order to enable the usage of NTP sterilization to be used on a wide range of surfaces with the highest possible efficiency.

Selected publicatons

  1. Scholtz, V. – Julák, J. – Kříha, V.: The microbicidal effect of low-temperature plasma generated by corona discharge: Comparison of various microorganisms on an agar surface or in aqueous suspension. Plasma Processes and Polymers. 2010, vol. 7, no. 3-4, p. 237-243. ISSN 1612-8850.
  2. Scholtz, V. – Julák, J. – Kříha, V.: Decontamination of surfaces – comparison of various corona discharges. Acta Technica CSAV. 2010, vol. 55, no. 4, p. 1. ISSN 0001-7043.
  3. Kříha, V. – Dymáčková, L.: Determining electrical characteristics of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis corona discharge treatments. In 24th symposium on Plasma Physics and technology. Praha: České vysoké učení technické v Praze, 2010, p. 103. ISBN 978-80-01-04548-0.
  4. Scholtz, V.: Comparison of Bactericidal Effects of Corona Discharges for Various Parameters. In Workshop 2010 [CD-ROM]. Praha: České vysoké učení technické v Praze, 2010, p. 268-269. ISBN 978-80-01-04513-8.
  5. Scholtz, V.: The Evolving of Bacterial Clone Resistive to the Low-Temperature Plasma. In Workshop 2010 [CD-ROM]. Praha: České vysoké učení technické v Praze, 2010, p. 276-277. ISBN 978-80-01-04513-8.
  6. Scholtz, V.: The Persistance of Bactericidal Effects in Water After its Exposition to the Corona Discharge. In Workshop 2010 [CD-ROM]. Praha: České vysoké učení technické v Praze, 2010, p. 274-275. ISBN 978-80-01-04513-8.
  7. Scholtz, V. – – et al.: Inactivation of prions using electrical DC discharges at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. In 3rd International Conference on Plasma Medicine. Eindhoven: University of Technology, 2010, vol. 1, p. 126.
  8. Scholtz, V. – Julák, J. – Kříha, V.: The Microbicidal Effect of Low-Temperature Plasma Generated by Corona Discharge: Comparison of Various Microorganisms on an Agar Surface or in Aqueous Suspension. Plasma Processes and Polymers [online]. 2009, vol. 2009, no. 6, Internet: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/123194997/PDFSTART. ISSN 1612-8869.
  9. Scholtz, V. – Julák, J.: The Bactericidal Effect of the Corona Discharge Low Temperature Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure. In Workshop 2009 CTU Reports [CD-ROM]. Praha: České vysoké učení technické v Praze, 2009, p. 316-317. ISBN 978-80-01-04286-1.
  10. Kříha, V. – Dymáčková, L. – Julák, J. – Scholtzová, J.: Exposed Charge by Negative Corona Discharge is Dominant Parameter of Staphylococcus Epidermidis Grow Inhibition. In 23rd Symposium on Plasma Physics and Technology-Programme and abstracts. Prague: CTU, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Physics, 2008, p. 155. ISBN 978-80-01-04030-0.
  11. Scholtz, V. – Julák, J. – Kříha, V. – Mosinger, J.: Decontamination Effects of Low-temperature Plasma Generated by Corona Discharge Part I: an Overview. Prague Medical Report . 2007, vol. 108, no. 2, p. 115-127. ISSN 1214-6994. 12. Scholtz, V. – Julák, J. – Kříha, V. – Mosinger, J. – Kopecká, S.: Decontamination Effects of Low-temperature Plasma Generated by Corona Discharge Part II: New Insights. Prague Medical Report . 2007, vol. 108, no. 2, p. 128-146. ISSN 1214-6994.
  12. Kříha, V.: Corona discharge bactericidal effect on Escherichia coli protected by gel. In Proceedings of XXVIII International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases [CD-ROM]. Prague: Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, v.v.i., 2007, vol. 1, p. 1439-1441. ISBN 978-80-87026-01-4.
  13. Kříha, V. – Koller, J.: Edge-to-gel corona discharge bactericidal effect. In Proceedings of XXVIII International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases [CD-ROM]. Prague: Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, v.v.i., 2007, vol. 1, p. 1418-1420. ISBN 978-80-87026-01-4.
  14. Julák, J. – Kříha, V. – Scholtz, V.: Corona discharge: A simple method of its generation and study of its bactericidal properties. Czechoslovak Journal of Physics. 2006, vol. 56, no. Suppl. B, p. 1333-1338. ISSN 0011-4626.
  15. Koller, J. – Kříha, V. – Scholtz, V. – Straňák, V. – Tichý, M. – et al.: Surfatron plasma-based sterilisation. Czechoslovak Journal of Physics. 2006, vol. 56, no. Suppl. B, p. 843-847. ISSN 0011-4626.
  16. Julák, J. – Kříha, V. – Scholtz, V.: Study of bactericidal effects of corona discharge at atmospheric pressure on various bacteria. In IEEE Conference Record – Abstracts. The 33rd IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (IEEE Cat. No. 06CH37759). Piscataway: IEEE, 2006, p. 249.
  17. Julák, J. – Kříha, V. – Scholtz, V.: The study of bactericidal effects of corona discharge at atmospheric pressure. In 33rd EPS Conference on Plasma Physics [CD-ROM]. Frascati: European Physical Society, 2006, p. P4.007. ISBN 2-914771-40-1.
  18. Straňák, V. – Tichý, M. – Kříha, V. – Scholtz, V. – Houser, F. – et al.: Biotechological Application of Surfatron Plasma Discharge. In WDS\’06. Prague: MATFYSPRESS, 2006, vol. II, p. 139-144. ISBN 80-86732-85-1.
  19. Straňák, V. – Tichý, M. – Kříha, V. – Scholtz, V. – Navrátil, Z. – et al.: Bio-medical applications and diagnostics of microwave plasma. In ESCAMPIG 2006 Proceedings of Contributed Papers. Mulhouse Cedex: European Physical Society, 2006, p. 441-442. ISBN 2-914771-38-X.