title: Non-thermal argon plasma is bactericidal for the intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis.
abstract: Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a flow of partially ionized argon gas at an ambient macroscopic temperature and is microbicidal for bacteria, viruses and fungi. Viability of the Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterial parasite Chlamydia trachomatis and its host cells was investigated after NTP treatment. NTP treatment of C. trachomatis extracellular elementary bodies (EBs) diminished the concentration of infectious bacteria by a factor of 9×10(4), as established by the parallel infection of murine fibroblast McCoy cells with treated and control EBs. NTP treatment of infected McCoy cells caused disruption of membrane-restricted vacuoles (inclusions), where C. trachomatis intracellular reticulate bodies (RBs) multiply, and a 2×10(6)-fold reduction in the concentration of infectious bacteria. When the samples were covered with magnesium fluoride glass to obstruct plasma particles and UV rays alone were applied, the bactericidal effect was reduced 1.4×10(1)-fold and 5×10(4)-fold for EBs and RBs, respectively. NTP treatment caused the viability of host McCoy cells to diminish by 19%. Therefore, the results obtained demonstrated that (i) both extracellular and intracellular forms of C. trachomatis are sensitive to NTP treatment; (ii) the reduction in concentration of infectious bacteria after NTP treatment of infected cells is superior to the reduction in viability of host cells; and (iii) the effect of NTP on intracellular bacteria does not depend on UV rays.
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Svetlana A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ermolaeva
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Elena V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Sysolyatina
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Natalia I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Kolkova
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bortsov
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Amir I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Tuhvatulin
authors.affiliation: Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Mikhail M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Vasiliev
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Andrey Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Mukhachev
authors.affiliation: Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Oleg F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Petrov
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Shimizu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tetsuji
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Boris S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Naroditsky
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Gregor E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Morfill
authors.affiliation: Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Fortov
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Anatoly I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Grigoriev
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Nelly A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Zigangirova
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gintsburg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001128:Argon / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058491:Bacterial Load; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000187:drug effects*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects*; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D058626:Plasma Gases; D001128:Argon