Iranian Biomedical Journal

other Pulsed Argon Arc Plasma Light as a New Tool for Efficient and Rapid Bacterial Inactivation Related Fields Related Fields کنگره Congress <div style="text-align: justify;">Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections pose a significant global threat. The limitations of conventional chemical disinfectants and continuous-wave UVC light have prompted the search for rapid, effective, and chemical-free alternative technologies. This study introduces a novel pulsed argon arc plasma light (PAAL) system as an efficient, rapid, and chemical-free alternative to conventional continuous-wave UVC germicidal lamps (GUV) for surface disinfection. Materials and Methods: A lab-made PAAL system, utilizing argon gas at pressures of 40, 60, and 80 mbar and operating at 1 Hz, was fabricated. Its efficacy in inactivating Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) was quantitatively evaluated and compared to a standard 15W GUV lamp. Bacterial colonies on agar plates were treated at a distance of 4 cm. The inactivation percentage was determined through digital image analysis after incubation. Additionally, optical emission spectra and UVC irradiance were characterized. Results and Discussion: The PAAL system produced a broad optical spectrum with intense UVC emission lines. Increasing the argon pressure to 80 mbar significantly enhanced UVC irradiance, reaching 3195 µW/cm² at 254 nm—four times that of the GUV lamp (800 µW/cm²). For E. coli, the PAAL system achieved a 99.9% inactivation rate in 30 seconds (30 pulses), consuming only 1,677 Joules. In contrast, the GUV lamp required 900 seconds and 13,500 Joules to achieve a 99.6% inactivation rate. Similarly, the more resistant S. aureus, the PAAL system achieved 98.4% inactivation in 30 seconds, outperforming the GUV lamp (97.9% in 900 seconds). Statistical analysis confirmed the significance of pulse count and gas pressure. Conclusion: The novel PAAL system demonstrates a paradigm shift in no-touch disinfection, offering superior speed, energy efficiency, and compactness compared to conventional GUV lamps. It holds exceptional promise for rapid decontamination cycles in clinical settings to combat healthcare-associated infections.</div>   <table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td></td> <td><img alt="" height="84" src="./files/site1/images/Picture1.jpg" width="507" ></td> <td></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Argon Plasma Light, Bacterial Inactivation, E. coli, Pulsed Light Disinfection, S. aureus 5 5 http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-867&slc_lang=other&sid=1 Motahare Aminjarrahi Yes Farshad Sohbatzadeh* No Saeed Mirzanejad No Reza brahimnezhad Darzi No Mohammad Rezanejad No