Effect of water-surface discharge on the inactivation of Bacillus subtilis due to protein lysis and DNA damage.

The effect of water-surface discharge on the inactivation of Bacillus subtilis ATCC6633 in water was examined by using a very short high-voltage pulse generator. The surviving number of spore cells at 10(4) CFU/ml in initial concentration exponentially decreased with increasing discharge-treatment time. The input energy into the water-surface discharge under an O(2) gas flow for reduction in the survival number to 10% was lower than that under an air flow because many oxidation agents such as ozone and OH radical were produced under the O(2) gas flow.