Short communication: Cold atmospheric plasma inactivation of Prototheca zopfii isolated from bovine milk

摘要

ABSTRACTMastitis is a serious bovine diseases that can be caused byPrototheca zopfii, yeast-like algae belonging to the familyChlorellaceae. The substantial economic losses and health damage associated with bovine mastitis emphasize the need to develop effective strategies aimed at control of the infection. Unfortunately,P. zopfiiis highly resistant to most common antibacterial and antifungal agents, as well as to heat treatment. We report here the first attempt to use cold atmospheric plasma to inactivate this pathogen. We studied 20 strains ofP. zopfiiisolated from milk samples taken from cows with clinical or subclinical mastitis. The studies confirmed the high level of resistance ofP. zopfiito typical antifungal agents, such as voriconazole, fluconazole, amphotericin B, caspofungin, anidulafungin, and micafungin. In contrast, each of the strains revealed high susceptibility to cold atmospheric plasma, >2-fold higher compared with a reference strain ofCandida albicans. The obtained results are promising and open up a new approach in the fight againstP. zopfii.