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Combining Visible Light and Non-Focused Ultrasound Significantly Reduces Propionibacterium acnes Biofilm While Having Limited Effect on Host Cells
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Combining Visible Light and Non-Focused Ultrasound Significantly Reduces Propionibacterium acnes Biofilm While Having Limited Effect on Host Cells

Mark E Schafer and Tessie McNeely
Microorganisms (Basel), v 9(5), p929
26 Apr 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050929
PMID: 33925936
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050929View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

blue light antibacterial Propionibacterium acnes ultrasound biofilm Bacteria
Bacterial biofilms are highly resistant to antibiotics and have been implicated in the etiology of 60%-80% of chronic microbial infections. We tested a novel combination of low intensity ultrasound and blue light against biofilm and planktonic bacteria. A laboratory prototype was built which produced both energies uniformly and coincidently from a single treatment head, impinging upon a 4.45 cm target. To demonstrate proof of concept, biofilms were cultured on Millicell hanging inserts in 6-well plates. Hanging inserts with biofilms were treated in a custom exposure chamber designed to minimize unwanted ultrasound reflections. Coincident delivery of both energies demonstrated synergy over either alone, killing both stationary planktonic and biofilm cultures of . Reduction in biofilm bacteria was dose dependent on exposure time (i.e., energy delivered). biofilms were significantly reduced by dual energy treatment ( < 0.0001), with a >1 log reduction after a 5 min (9 J/cm ) and >3 log reduction after a 30 min (54 J/cm ) treatment ( < 0.05). Mammalian cells were found to be unaffected by the treatment. Both the light and the ultrasound energies are at levels previously cleared by the FDA. Therefore, this combination treatment could be used as a safe, efficacious method to treat biofilm related syndromes.

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Web of Science research areas
Microbiology
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