Positive and Negative Ions Potently Inhibit the Viability of Airborne Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria
Sara Comini, Narcisa Mandras, Maria Rita Iannantuoni, Francesca Menotti, Andrea Giuseppe Musumeci, Giorgia Piersigilli, Valeria Allizond, Giuliana Banche, Anna Maria Cuffini
Abstract
Indoor air is a well-established vehicle for direct and indirect spread of a wide variety of human pathogens-as bioaerosols are composed of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other types of organisms-that may trigger some pathologies. Plasmacluster ionizers are known for their ability to generate positively or negatively charged air ions (PAIs and NAIs, respectively) that can kill/inactivate indoor airborne pathogens, through oxidative stress-induced damage, in various environments. Given these premises, the aim of this study was to evaluate the viability of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria exposed to PAI and NAI under different experimental variables such as bacterial type and load, action area, distance from the ion generator, ion exposure time, and filter type. Altogether, our findings, demonstrating a remarkable PAI and NAI antibacterial activity, stress the importance of using air ionizers to prevent indoor airborne infection.