Japanese scientists kill bacteria by electrocution

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 18 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

A science team led by Tokyo University of Technology has developed a membrane that electrocutes infectious agents such as Legionella bacteria found in bathwater.

The team confirmed with a high-powered microscope that the bacteria were killed by the membrane. The team will announce the results at a meeting of the Society for Antibacterial and Antifungal Agents to be held in Tokyo on May 26.

The membrane was made simple and safe to use by applying electromagnetic induction--a phenomenon whereby an electric current passes through an object as it moves around a magnet.

The membrane has small holes containing magnetic powder. When water from a bath passes over the membrane, a low-grade electric current emanates from the membrane, striking infectious agents in the water and killing them.

The team conducted an experiment by pouring water through two membranes, one of which was coated with magnetic powder, for six days. They found that the number of Legionella bacteria decreased to about one-thousandth of the number found in the water that passed through the membrane without the magnetic powder. The team also found that the membrane can kill Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus coli.

Shinichiro Ishibashi, a professor at the university, said the membrane had a high purification ability because it killed the bacteria rather than just capturing them.

Yomiuri Shimbun

Copyright 2004 The Yomiuri Shimbun
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp