Study tests microplasma against middle-ear infections

Date:
July 29, 2021
Source:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau
Summary:
Middle-ear infections are a common affliction in early life,
affecting more than 80% of children in the U.S. Antibiotics are
often employed as a first line of defense but sometimes fail against
the pathogenic bacteria that can develop in the middle ear, just
behind the eardrum. In a new study, researchers explore the use of
microplasma -- a highly focused stream of chemically excited ions
and molecules -- as a noninvasive method for attacking the bacterial
biofilms that resist antibiotic treatment in the middle ear.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Middle-ear infections are a common affliction in early life, affecting
more than 80% of children in the U.S. Antibiotics are often employed as a
first line of defense but sometimes fail against the pathogenic bacteria
that can develop in the middle ear, just behind the eardrum. In a new
study, researchers explore the use of microplasma -- a highly focused
stream of chemically excited ions and molecules -- as a noninvasive
method for attacking the bacterial biofilms that resist antibiotic
treatment in the middle ear.


==========================================================================
They report their findings in the journal npj Biofilms and Microbiomes.

Biofilms are communities of microbes that form on surfaces and reproduce, communicate with one another and secrete a slimy adhesive matrix that
holds them together. They can be tenacious and harmful, especially when associated with infection.

Plasmas are a form of matter that is neither solid, liquid or gas,
said Jungeun (Jenny) Won, a former Ph.D. student in the laboratory
of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign electrical and computer
engineering professor Stephen Boppart, who led the research with civil
and environmental engineering professor Than H.

(Helen) Nguyen and electrical and computer engineering professor
J. Gary Eden.

Boppart and Nguyen are affiliated with the Carle Illinois College of
Medicine and Nguyen is a faculty member in the Carl R. Woese Institute
for Genomic Biology at the U. of I.

"Many studies have found that the highly reactive particles or
molecules within this plasma can interact with and inactivate bacteria,"
said Won, now a postdoctoral researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She shares first-author status on the new report with former
U. of I. postdoctoral researcher Peter P. Sun, a process TD engineer at
Intel Corporation.

Previous studies have found that the microplasmas can disrupt the
bacterial biofilms that form on various surfaces.



========================================================================== "Before we tried this with ear infections, we found that the microplasma technique worked with drinking-water biofilms," Nguyen said.

Other studies suggest that treatment with microplasma can promote wound
healing and infection control, but no previous research has used the
technique against middle-ear infections, Nguyen said.

To study this, the team developed a 3D-printed device that could generate
and deliver microplasma via a carrier gas emitted through an array of
tiny jets.

They first tested the device on a bacterial culture of Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, a common bacterial culprit in middle-ear infections. They
also tried it out on an eardrum-mimicking artificial membrane that they impregnated with a biofilm of P. aeruginosa. Those tests revealed that
the microplasma disrupted bacterial growth and viability.

They next tested microplasma on a model that simulated an infected,
enclosed middle-ear cavity. For these experiments, they delivered the microplasma to the outside of the simulated eardrum, just as they would
if they were treating a middle-ear infection in a human.

"That's really important because that's how it will be used in practice,"
Won said. "And we found that those ions from the microplasma can
penetrate to the eardrum and, depending on the length of treatment,
deactivate those bacterial species and biofilms." The researchers also
found that microplasma enhanced the potency and effectiveness of the
antibiotic treatment against P. aeruginosa biofilms.

The team proposed that a microplasma-delivery device be integrated into an otoscope speculum, a standard diagnostic tool for problems in the ear. And because the most effective course of treatment took about 15 minutes,
the researchers are exploring whether microplasma can be delivered via
earbuds that can remain in the ear for extended periods of time.

"Many more studies must be conducted before we can explore the use of this technology in the human ear," Won said. "But early indications are that
this approach could be a viable alternative to surgery in cases where antibiotics alone are not effective." The National Science Foundation,
U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Institutes
of Health supported this research.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Illinois_at_Urbana-Champaign,_News_Bureau.

Original written by Diana Yates. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Peter P. Sun, Jungeun Won, Gabrielle Choo-Kang, Shouyan Li,
Wenyuan Chen,
Guillermo L. Monroy, Eric J. Chaney, Stephen A. Boppart,
J. Gary Eden, Thanh H. Nguyen. Inactivation and sensitization
of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by microplasma jet array for treating
otitis media. npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 2021; 7 (1) DOI:
10.1038/s41522-021-00219-2 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210729122031.htm

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