Abstract
We have recently treated with N2 gas plasma and achieved inactivation of bacteria. However, the effect of N2 gas plasma on viruses remains unclear. With the aim of developing this technique, we analyzed the virucidal effect of N2 gas plasma on influenza virus and its influence on the viral components. We treated influenza virus particles with inert N2 gas plasma (1.5 kpps; kilo pulses per second) produced by a short high-voltage pulse generated from a static induction thyristor power supply. A bioassay using chicken embryonated eggs demonstrated that N2 gas plasma inactivated influenza virus in allantoic fluid within 5 min. Immunochromatography, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Coomassie brilliant blue staining showed that N2 gas plasma treatment of influenza A and B viruses in nasal aspirates and allantoic fluids as well as purified influenza A and B viruses induced degradation of viral proteins including nucleoprotein. Analysis using the polymerase chain reaction suggested that N2 gas plasma treatment induced changes in the viral RNA genome. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that aggregation and fusion of influenza viruses were induced by N2 gas plasma treatment. We believe these biochemical changes may contribute to the inactivation of influenza viruses by N2 gas plasma.
Highlights
Infection mediated by medical devices is thought to be a major contributor to hospital-acquired infections [1]
We investigated the N2 gas plasma treated influenza virus (A/PR/8/34) in infected allantoic fluid and determined whether influenza virus was inactivated by N2 gas plasma treatment (Figure 2)
Samples including influenza virus (A/PR/8/34) at 3.16 × 1014 TCID50/mL were treated with N2 chicken gas plasma for 5 min and embryonated eggs
Summary
Infection mediated by medical devices is thought to be a major contributor to hospital-acquired infections [1]. Medical devices and instruments are often not sufficiently robust to withstand repeated rounds of sterilization by autoclaving or dry-heat treatment [2]. Alternative sterilization techniques involve the generation of γ-rays or electron beams, which require expensive facilities and are not appropriate for routine daily use [3]. Ethylene oxide gas (EOG) can be used to sterilize heat-sensitive medical instruments, the gas is both toxic and carcinogenic, which limits its usage [4]. Sterilization using hydrogen peroxide gas plasma was proposed, it is ineffective against endotoxins and lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) [5, 6]. Residual amounts of endotoxin derived from bacteria may cause symptoms including fever [7]
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