Coldatmospheric plasma inactivates bacteria through reactive species produced from the applied gas. The use of
cold plasma clinically has gained recent interest, as the need for alternative or supplementary strategies are nec-
essary for preventing multi-drug resistant infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial
ef
fi
cacyofanovelshieldedslidingdischargebasedcoldplasmareactoroperatedbynanosecondvoltagepulsesin
atmospheric air on both biotic and inanimate surfaces. Bacterial inactivation was determined by direct quanti
fi
-
cation of colony forming units. The plasma activated air (afterglow) was bactericidal against
Escherichia coli
and
Staphylococcus epidermidis
seeded on culture media, laminate, and linoleum vinyl. In general,
E. coli
was more
susceptible to plasma exposure. A bacterial reduction wa
sobservedwiththeapplicationofairaloneonalaminate
surface. Whole-cell real-time PCR re
vealed a decrease in the presence of
E. coli
genomic DNA on exposed samples.
These
fi
ndings suggest that plasma-
induced bacterial inactivation is surface-dependent