Studies On Bactericidal Mechanism Of Chlorine Dioxide

The mechanism of chlorine dioxide in killing bacteria (Escherichia coli, as well as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis var. niger) was studied. Chlorine dioxide has been used as a disinfectant for many years, despite the lack of research on its mechanisms. This study was conducted to examine the effects of chlorine dioxide on the ultrastructure of bacteria in order to elucidate the bactericidal mechanism of chlorine dioxide. Meanwhile the leakages of protein, ATP and kalium ion were detected. And the direct and indirect effect on DNA double-strands of Escherichia coli was studied by the agar gel electrophoresis.1. The bacterial protective structure could be destroyed by chlorine dioxide in a certain extent. After treated with chlorine dioxide, the leakage of protein, ATP and kalium ion were detected and the longer the exposure time, the more the leakage quantity.2. The mechanism of chlorine dioxide did not lie in the leakage of cellular content. The leakage of cellular content increased when the exposure time get longer, but the leakage of protein and kalium ion of Escherichia coli decreased when increased the concentration of chlorine dioxide. The ATP leakage of Escherichia coli lagged behind the death of bacteria obviously.3. The bactericidal mechanism of chlorine dioxide did not lie in the reaction of DNA, though chlorine dioxide could act on DNA directly. Chlorine dioxide could digest the DNA of Escherichia coli directly only when its concentration reached to 500mg/L. But the results of electrophoresis indicated that the bacterial DNA did not broken after treated with 10mg/L, 100mg/L, even 500mg/L and 1000mg/L chlorine dioxide for a certain time.4. It was possible that the coagulation of cytoplasm had relations with the...