Merrin Fabre - Lighting up to take down bacteria

Whilst some bacteria can provide health benefits there are others that can do annoying things - like kill you. So in order to save ourselves we should probably kill them first. So, stand aside bacterial wipes, hand sanitisers and antiseptic sprays there is a new bug zapper in town.

Bring in the plasma flashlight - a torch that emits a plasma jet that kills bacteria on the skin in an instant. Developed by a group of Chinese and Australian scientists, including CSIRO, the flashlight is completely mobile, light, efficient, and works at room temperature.

Due to its mobility it could be used in ambulance emergency calls, natural disaster sites, military combat operations and many other instances where treatment is required in remote locations.

Kostya Ostrikov from CSIRO was one of the researchers working on the flashlight.

"'The plasma flashlight is an exciting development in potential health treatments," Kostya said. "It not only inactivates individual bacterial cells but also bacterial biofilms."

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http://www.interndaily.com/reports/Lighting_up_to_take_down_bacteria_999.html