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We handle smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices countless times a day. So far, hygienic aspects have played a subordinate role. But the corona virus changed the consciousness of many people. In the clinical area, too, smartphones and tablets are used in a variety of ways, going from hand to hand. Regular disinfection of the mobile devices is absolutely necessary there. However, chemical treatment is often prohibited because many smartphones are not 100 percent waterproof. Chemical agents also destroy the grease-repellent coating on displays.
That is why the researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute discovered an innovative system that frees mobile devices from bacteria and viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 - the so-called "UV-C - light".

The hygiene chain fully under control
Consistent hygiene in all areas

  • Prevention of air and surface infections.
  • No development of resistance.
  • Brings trust and security to others.

 


The power of ultraviolet light (UV light)


Up to 99.9% of all germs on surfaces and in the air are killed.

 

  • Killing microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, germs, fungi and yeast in a matter of seconds.
  • No impairment of taste and smell.
  • No formation of health-endangering by-products.
  • No chemicals added.
  • Poor low maintenance procedures and easy installation and handling (plug & play).
  • Low operating costs.
  • Maximum operational security.
  • UV-C disinfection is most effective at a wavelength of 254.7 nm .
  • The UV-C radiation emitted has a strong bactericidal effect. It is absorbed by the DNA, destroys its structure and inactivates living cells.
  • The strong reduction of the germ load ensures the optimal quality of the stored substances and the stored goods.
  • The reliable reduction in the number of bacteria extremely reduces the effort required for daily hygiene.

 

"Lexicon"

What are viruses, bacteria & Co.?

Bacteria
Bacteria play a major role in the human body. So lives in the human intestine a variety of bacteria, which together form the digestive intestinal flora. The skin of healthy people is colonized by harmless bacteria that make up the skin flora. A particularly high number of bacteria is on the teeth. Bacteria can also act as pathogens. Some bacteria cause purulent wound infections (infection), sepsis (blood poisoning) or the inflammation of organs (eg bladder or pneumonia). In order to prevent these diseases, hygiene, a field of medicine, has developed two methods of fighting bacteria:

Sterilization is a process that makes medical devices and materials germ-free.

Disinfection is a method to greatly reduce the number of bacteria on the skin or objects (eg with hand sanitizers).
Once the bacteria have invaded the body and caused an infection, antibiotics today are an effective anti-bacterial agent; for example penicillins, which are formed by fungi of the genus Penicillium. Penicillin interferes with the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall, so it only works against growing bacteria. However, many antibiotics have become ineffective against certain bacteria over time. Therefore, bacteria are examined in microbiological laboratories and a resistance test is performed. In the treatment with antibiotics must be noted that not only pathogenic (pathogenic) bacteria, but also mutualistic (useful) bacteria can be disturbed or killed by the drug. This can lead to the fact that initially in small numbers in the gut living bacteria of the species Clostridium difficile, which are naturally resistant to many antibiotics, gain the upper hand in the gut and trigger severe diarrhea.

A resistance to antibiotics may be natural or the result of a mutation. To prove this, the biologists Max Delbrück and Salvador Edward Luria developed the fluctuation test.

An older method of the doctors in the fight against bacterial infections represents the operation with opening and purge of the pus, according to the ancient Latin surgeon saying "Ubi pus, ibi evacua" - in English: "Where there is pus, there empty it." This method in conjunction with the administration of antibiotics is much more effective than just the use of antibiotics alone with large pus.

With UV-C - light (blue light) against bacteria
It seems almost too simple to be true: US researchers have discovered that simple blue light can completely kill bacteria in infected burns - without damaging the injured skin. Even otherwise, the scientists could not observe a side effect of the treatment in mice. If the method proves to work well in humans, there would finally be a new, gentle way to treat skin infections - even if they are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Lighting up bacteria is not a completely new idea. There have already been tests with UV-C radiation of different wavelengths and different intensities, which should kill the microbes. Although this works, the high-energy radiation often causes severe damage to the treated areas of the skin. A potential alternative would be the so-called photodynamic therapy. She has been working in the clinic for a long time, for example against certain types of skin cancer or against vascular proliferations in the eye. In this case, the tissue to be treated is prepared before irradiation with a substance which decomposes through the light and thereby forms the actual active ingredient. He then kills the unwanted cells.

No additional active ingredient needed

In order to treat infections, however, the photosensitive material would have to be modified so that it only penetrates into the microbe cells - and that's not been achieved. In the case of burns, which are particularly frequent bacteria, it is also the fact that the skin itself is already extremely badly damaged and should not come into contact with chemicals. At this point, the blue light method comes into play: Although it uses the same principle as the photo-dynamics, but requires no additional photosensitive agent. Because the blue light disintegrates certain molecules that naturally occur in the interior of bacterial cells, but not in cells of mammals or humans. The principle has already been proven in studies of gingivitis and (?) In certain forms of acne.

The team led by dermatologist Michael Hamblin of Harvard Medical School now tested whether blue light can also do something about the - generally much more serious - infections in burn victims. To do so, they first tested in the laboratory what effects irradiation with blue light had on cultivated skin cells and on bacteria of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type. These microorganisms, which often cause skin infections, are particularly feared because they are often resistant to all common antibiotics. Result of the test: The bacteria lost their activity relatively quickly, whereas the skin cells did not show damage until much later. Optimal conditions for a blue light therapy against P. aeruginosa.

Resounding success

Subsequently, the scientists tested their method in mice in which they had infected burns in the chest area with the bacteria. They irradiated the burned skin several times with a blue light-emitting diode and then observed how many bacteria were still alive and active. The results were extremely impressive, the team reports: While nine out of eleven died from untreated animals after less than three days of sepsis, not only do all the mice that were irradiated survive, their infections were virtually completely healed after this time. The treated skin also did not cause any damage, only a slight swelling had occurred shortly after the treatment, the team reports.

Despite the lack of data, the scientists assume that the method will prove to be just as effective in clinical trials as it is now in its trial. It is only necessary to check whether human skin survives the treatment as unscathed as the mouse skin, and whether over time can not resist resistance to radiation. The researchers themselves consider this unlikely, but can not completely rule it out. However, they see great potential in the method and suspect that it can also be used with other types of bacteria and infection types.

E-coli bacteria
Most strains of E. coli are non-pathogenic and therefore harmless. However, some serotypes play an important role in diseases inside and outside the intestine. In hosts with immunodeficiency E. coli is an opportunistic pathogen, that is, only by the weakening it can be effective. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) are responsible for uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Neonatal meningitis-causing E. coli (NMEC) can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause meningitis in newborns. NMEC and UPEC cause sepsis in the bloodstream.

It is believed that E. coli is associated with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, since in addition to genetic predisposition and environmental factors at the onset of disease, among other things, a dysregulated immune response of the mucosa against commensal bacteria could be involved. The patient's mucosa is abnormally colonized with adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC), which adhere to and invade the epithelial cells.

The intestinal pathogenic E. coli are subdivided into five different pathological groups. Worldwide, they cause 160 million diarrheal diseases and 1 million deaths per year. In most cases, children under the age of 5 are affected in developing countries.

Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC for short) cause severe diarrhea in infants, which are rare in industrialized societies, often responsible for childhood deaths in underdeveloped countries. Using the EPEC adhesion factor (EAF), the EPEC attach to the small intestinal epithelial cells and then inject toxins into the enterocytes using a type III secretion system.

Enterotoxic E. coli (short ETEC) are more common pathogens of traveler's diarrhea (Montezuma's revenge). The reason for this disease is a heat-labile enterotoxin of the A / B type (LT I and LT II), as well as a heat-stable enterotoxin (ST). This 73 kDa protein has two domains, one of which binds to a G-ganglioside of the target cell (binding domain). The other domain is the active component, which activates adenylate cyclase, similar to cholera toxin (about 80% gene homology). The approximately 15-20 amino acids long ST activates the guanylate cyclase. The activation of adenylate cyclase and guanylate cyclase ends in a secretory diarrhea, in which much water and electrolytes are lost. The genetic information gets the bacterium from a lysogenic phage by transduction.

Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC for short) penetrate the epithelial cells of the colon and multiply there. Actin tail formation occurs within the cell, thus penetrating into neighboring epithelial cells like Listeria and Shigella. It comes to inflammation and ulceration with secretion of blood, mucus and white blood cells (granulocytes). In addition, EIECs can release enterotoxins that cause electrolyte and water loss. The disease is similar to a bacterial dysentery with fever and bloody-slimy diarrhea, often accompanied by a weakened symptoms with watery diarrhea.

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC for short) are Shigatoxin-producing E. coli (STEC) with additional pathogenicity factors. Shigatoxin is enterotoxic and cytotoxic and shows similarities to the toxin produced by Shigellen. Analogously, VTEC (verotoxin-producing E. coli) are named. Bowel disease caused by EHEC was known primarily as enterohemorrhagic colitis. EHEC infections are among the most common causes of food poisoning. The pathogen is highly infectious: 10-100 individuals are sufficient for a disease. The low dose of infection favors a human-to-human transmission. However, an infection can also be caused by animal contact (zoonosis) or by swallowing bath water. Typical clinical pictures are thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is particularly feared due to the possibility of dying from terminal kidney damage. All ages are affected, but especially children under 6 years old. Renal failure occurs in 10-30% of cases with death of the patient within one year of onset of the disease.

Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC or EAEC abbreviated) have the ability to autoaggregate. They attach to the small intestinal epithelium with specific fimbriae. Characteristic is the increased mucus production of the mucosal cells, which delays an excretion. There is diarrhea of ​​the secretory type due to enterotoxins (EAST). EAEC causes both acute and chronic recurring diarrheal diseases that can last for weeks. In addition to watery slimy diarrhea may also cause fever and vomiting or bloody stool. In immunocompromised (eg HIV patients) EAEC is the most common causative agent of bacterial enteritis.

With UV-C - light against E-coli bacteria
No resistance to UV-C possible!
Put simply, bacteria, viruses, yeasts and molds have no chance against ultraviolet. Because additional resistance can not be acquired according to scientific findings. Most pathogenic germs are even particularly sensitive to UV rays. An important advantage of physical disinfection, as it works, for example, even if germs have already acquired resistance to conventional disinfection measures (alcohol, antibiotics, ...). At this point, the MRSA problem is pointed out, with which many medical institutions have reached the limit of the previously practiced disinfection and prevention.
This circumstance of physical sterilization works for all microorganisms, regardless of whether it is frequently occurring E. coli bacteria, Väkalkeime, TBC, SARS, anthrax or Legionella. However, a sufficient dose of UV is essential - and requires appropriate device development.

Enterobacteria
Many enterobacteria are part of the healthy intestinal flora of humans and animals; However, they also occur everywhere in the environment (soil, water). Some are pathogens in humans and animals. They often occur as nosocomial pathogens ("hospital germs") and infect people with weak immune systems.
Probably the most important member of the enterobacteria is Escherichia coli, one of the most important model organisms of genetics and biochemistry as well as microbiology. Striking is also the genus Proteus, in which one observes the so-called "swarming phenomenon". As growing colonies of these bacteria spread on an agar plate, one sees a bacterial lawn with concentric rings.

With UV-C light against enterobacteria
Yeasts
Yeasts thrive in biotopes where sugar is present, e.g. in fruits and fruit juices. From an economic point of view, H. are of particular importance in the production of baked goods (baker's yeast), beer (brewer's yeast) and wine (wine yeasts). H. are also ideal organisms for genetic engineering, as they can easily change genes or switch them off completely. Standard breeds of genetic research include brewer's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. She was the first eukaryote whose genome was completely sequenced.
Mushrooms
Since the beginning of the 20th century, mushrooms have also been used for medical purposes. Medicines like the antibiotic penicillin are derived from mushrooms. Other metabolic products of fungi reduce cholesterol or help against malaria.
On the other hand, fungi cause diseases in humans. The most frequently affected body parts are the skin (especially on the head, feet and hands), hair, nails and mucous membranes. The most well-known fungal diseases of man are skin and nail fungus diseases.
On the skin of humans lives a variety of bacteria and fungi, which usually does not hurt him. They settle in the upper layers of the skin and feed on dead skin cells and sweat. Factors such as stress, a weakened immune system, hormonal changes o. Ä. This can lead to otherwise harmless fungi triggering diseases that affect the scalp, vagina (at the beginning of pregnancy) or other internal organs.
Athlete's foot are common as they are very easily transmitted. Some of their spores survive for years and are insensitive to normal hygiene. Furthermore, they are very easily transmitted from the feet to other parts of the body such as genitals, mouth and mucous membranes. Swimming pools are among the main sources of athlete's foot.

Further examples are:
   • Malassezia furfur, the causative agent of pityriasis versicolor, a common skin mycosis
   • Candida albicans, a mostly harmless roommate, who may lead to the disease in immune deficiency
   • Aspergillus species, for example A. fumigatus, the most common causative agent of aspergillosis, a lung disease
   • Cryptococcus neoformans, the causative agent of cryptococcosis
   • Rhizopus, a genus of mucorales, the causative agent of mucormycosis
   • Coccidioides immitis, which causes coccidioidomycosis, especially in the southern states of the USA, Mexico and
     Argentina
   • Histoplasma capsulatum, an endoparasite of the reticuloendothelial tissue and pathogen of histoplasmosis
     Medicines for the treatment of fungal diseases are called antifungals. They are used for local fungal infections of the
     skin or mucous membranes and also for systemic fungal infections.

With UV-C light
UV-C Cropprotection
UV-C light has a wavelength of 100-280nm. Germicidal effect of UV-C rays has been known since the 1930's. They have since been used in laboratories to control viruses, bacteria and fungi. UV-C rays penetrate the outermost membrane of microbes, preventing them from multiplying. In particular, the use of UV-C rays with a wavelength of 253.7 nm destroys the DNA of pathogens.
Until 2007, UV-C radiation was used only for the sterilization of water and air.

The Basics of UV-C - Light:
The light intensity of UV-C lamps is given in μW / cm2 (Microwatt per cm2). When using it is always important to note that the number of μW used depends on the duration of the irradiation as well as the distance of the lamp from the plants.
Ex .: A 100W UV-C lamp has an output of 14,000 μW / cm2 in one second when it is 2cm from the "project". If I increase the distance to one meter (100cm), then the output is only 360 μW / cm2 per second.

Modalities of irradiation:
It is preferable to regular irradiation with lower doses. The best results show a daily irradiation. It is important to ensure that the pathogens are irradiated directly. If the fungus is obscured by a leaf, UV-C irradiation will not help because UV-C rays can not penetrate leaf material.
UV-C rays burn the top layers of the skin and can severely damage the eyes. Therefore the following warning
   • Always wear safety goggles
   • Protect the skin from direct radiation
   • The wrong intensity of UV-C rays can severely damage tissue.

How can UV be visualized?
UV radiation is invisible. With suitable sensors and measuring instruments, however, ultraviolet can be made visible and, above all, measurable. Thus, at any time via a simple relative measurement of the state of the radiation source and the lamp aging can be checked. The percentage aging compared to the new condition can thus be controlled. If necessary, the radiation source is replaced. Among other things, the UV measurement is used for quality assurance and process control in industrial applications and is easy and quick to carry out.
It is important to know that in UV measurement with e.g. Handheld instruments or dosimeters always comes to relative values ​​and not to an absolute value, since due to the small measurement distance only the radiation density and no radiation flux is measured. Furthermore, the sensor typically detects UV radiation at an opening angle of e.g. 30 °. For reproducibility, a fixed and always consistent measuring position should be ensured.
If water disinfection devices are monitored with a sensor and monitor, the result is a cumulative signal from lamp aging, immersion pipe contamination and transmission changes in the water.
Sensors are responsible for aging and must be recalibrated at regular intervals.

For our "animal friends"

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