Slightly acidic electrolyzed water disrupts biofilms and effectively disinfects Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Kiyofumi Ohkusu, Nobuhiko Furuya, Ryo Takahashi, Takashi Okanda, Tetsuya Masumoto, Tomoko Ehara

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jiac.2019.01.014 DOI is the universal ID for this study.

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Abstract:

Introduction: Biofilm formation is an important issue in the healthcare industry, but conventional disinfectants are not effective for biofilms formed in the hospital environment and on medical instruments. In this study, aim at determine the effectiveness of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) on biofilm removal and the disinfection of biofilm-forming Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Methods: Mucoid and non-mucoid strains were used for biofilm formation. Biofilms were incubated with SAEW and the reduction in biofilm volume was determined based on the optical density. Furthermore, to investigate the mechanism underlying the effects of SAEW, a biofilm was produced with alginate and structural changes in response to incubation with SAEW were observed by fluorescence microscopy. The minimum bactericidal chlorine concentration of SAEW for P. aeruginosa cells was evaluated.

Results: The amounts of alginate and biofilm decreased by 99.9% and 56.8% immersed by 30 ppm of SAEW at 25 °C for 10 min. The effectiveness of SAEW increased as the temperature increased, and the biofilm volume was reduced by 85.4% at 45 °C. Furthermore, 30 ppm SAEW completely disinfected P. aeruginosa in the biofilm, even for immersion at 15 °C for 5 min.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that SAEW, a low-cost and safe chlorine disinfectant, is a useful disinfectant for biofilm-forming bacteria.


Publish Year 2019
Country Japan
Rank Positive
Journal Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy
Primary Topic Whole Body
Secondary TopicSurgery/Transplantation
Model Cell Culture
Tertiary TopicBacterial Infection
Vehicle Water (Electrolysis)
pH Acidic
Application Culture Media
Comparison
Complement