Plasma-activated water as decontamination agent for healthcare textiles

Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)

Introduction

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is produced by treating water with plasma and is being tested as a chemical agent for the decontamination of food, surfaces and medical equipment due to its good antimicrobial properties. However, there is no research on whether textiles can be decontaminated with PAW, whereby pathogens present on healthcare textiles can contribute to the spread of hospital-acquired infections and therefore pose a serious threat in hospitals and medical facilities.

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate whether PAW can be used as an alternative method for decontamination of healthcare textiles.

Materials and Methods

An Openair® plasma system (Plasmatreat GmbH, Steinhagen, Germany) was used to produce PAW by treating distilled water, and a 100 % cotton lab coat was chosen as healthcare textile. Optimal treatment parameters such as time of PAW exposure and stirring rate were determined and the decontamination efficiency of PAW against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was investigated. Furthermore, the effect of repeated PAW cycles on the mechanical and chemical properties of the textiles was evaluated.

Results

PAW with a pH of 2.38 ± 0.40 was produced. The decontamination efficiency was dependent on the time the textiles were exposed to PAW and the stirring rate. For Escherichia coli, a complete reduction was achieved after 15 min of treatment at 250 rpm, while for Staphylococcus aureus 15 min at 500 rpm were needed. To ensure adequate bacterial reduction on the textiles, at least 15 min of PAW treatment and a PAW agitation of 500 rpm were set as the optimal process parameters. No effects of the PAW treatment on the mechanical and chemical properties of the textiles could be detected after up to 15 cycles.

Conclusion

PAW could be a promising approach to gently decontaminate healthcare textiles and reduce the spread of pathogens.