Effect of electrical energy on the efficacy of biofilm treatment using the bioelectric effect

The energy, rather than the type, of an electrical signal determines the efficacy of the 'bioelectric effect', say researchers in the USA. Young wook Kim, Sowmya Subramanian and co-workers at the University of Maryland compared the efficacy of the bioelectric effect—the combined effect of electric fields and small doses of antibiotics to reduce cell numbers in biofilms—with alternating current, direct current and superimposed potentials on Escherichia coli biofilms. They found no statistical difference in efficacy between the three types of electrical treatment, but observed a linear correlation between the quantity of electrical energy and efficacy in each case. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism of action of the bioelectric effect and pave the way for more flexible integration of this effect in clinical biofilm treatment.