Sterilization of bacterial endospores by an atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet

Argon plasma jets penetrate deep into ambient air and create a path for oxygen radicals to sterilize microbes. A sterilization experiment with bacterial endospores indicates that an argon-oxygen plasma jet very effectively kills endospores of Bacillus atrophaeus (ATCC 9372), thereby demonstrating its capability to clean surfaces and its usefulness for reinstating contaminated equipment as free from toxic biological warfare agents. However, the spore-killing efficiency of the atmospheric-pressure argon-oxygen jet depends very sensitively on the oxygen concentration in the argon gas. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.