title: Sterilization of biological pathogens using supercritical fluid carbon dioxide containing water and hydrogen peroxide.
abstract: Novel noninvasive techniques for the removal of biological contaminants to generate clean or sterile materials are in demand by the medical, pharmaceutical and food industries. The sterilization method described here uses supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SF-CO(2)) containing 3.3% water and 0.1% hydrogen peroxide (v/v/v) to achieve from four to eight log viability reduction of all tested microbial species, including vegetative cells, spores and biofilms. The sterilization method employs moderate pressure and temperature (80 atm, 50°C) and a short (30-minute) treatment time. The procedure kills various opportunistic pathogens that often persist in biofilm structures, fungal spores commonly associated with nosocomial infections, and Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 endospores that are notoriously hard to eradicate by conventional sterilization techniques.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Biotechnology Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA. achecinska@uidaho.edu
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Checinska
authors.forename: Ingrid A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Fruth
authors.forename: Tonia L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Ronald L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Andrzej J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Paszczynski
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001407:Bacillus / Q000187:drug effects; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D013242:Sterilization / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D014867:Water; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide