WO2004101003A1

WO2004101003A1 - Method for eliminating microorganisms

Info

Publication number: WO2004101003A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/005054
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rolf Leeser
Original assignee: Rolf Leeser
Priority date: 2003-05-14
Filing date: 2004-05-12
Publication date: 2004-11-25
Also published as: DE10321654A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for eliminating microorganisms (10), particularly bacteria, viruses, monocellular or multicellular life forms, individual cells or the like, during which the microorganisms (10) are subjected to the action of an alternating voltage (20) whereby being set in oscillatory motion. The alternating voltage (20) is operated with a frequency in the area of a natural frequency of the microorganisms (10).

Description

Ve drive to kill microorganisms

description

The invention relates to a method for killing microorganisms, in particular bacteria, viruses, unicellular organisms or the like with the features mentioned in claim 1.

Various methods for disinfecting substances are known. With such a disinfection, microorganisms such as bacteria -. the like be killed and thus rendered harmless. In the case of food, preservatives are sometimes used for this, or the food is heated for a certain period of time so that the bacteria it contains collapse. However, the heating also leads to a reduction in the nutrient and vitamin content in the food.

Various substances can be used for medical disinfection, some of which act as toxins and are intended to kill the microorganisms.

If larger amounts of water are to be cleaned of microorganisms, chlorination is an option, as is the case with swimming pools, for example. However, chlorination of water in swimming pools is associated with a reduction in comfort due to unpleasant smells. In addition, chlorine can cause allergic reactions in sensitive reactions. -.- In some cases, drinking water is also chlorinated in order to render the pollutants contained therein harmless, which, however, entails considerable taste impairments.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved and gentle method for killing microorganisms.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1. In this method for killing microorganisms, an alternating voltage is applied to them, the frequency of which lies in the range of a natural frequency of the microorganisms.

It is known that almost all substances are sensitive to vibrations of a certain frequency. According to the invention, it was recognized that this also applies to living beings, in particular also to microorganisms and microorganisms such as, for example, bacteria and viruses. The sensitivity of the microorganisms to vibrations of a certain frequency can be exploited by exposing the microorganisms to a high-frequency alternating voltage. If the microorganisms are subjected to a voltage for a sufficiently long period of time, this can lead to the killing of many of the smallest organisms.

In the method according to the invention, the knowledge according to the invention is used that all microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, one or the multicellular organism and also individual cells have a specific, characteristic natural frequency that is largely independent of a current or a voltage. This natural frequency can also be referred to as system frequency or as system resonance, since the system frequency also varies with a different number of microorganisms. For example, it has been found that around 10 mg of pure bacteria vibrate in a range between 20 and 30 kHz at system frequency.

The microorganisms are preferably subjected to an alternating voltage of a predetermined frequency for the greatest possible kill over a period of at least 20 minutes. For practical applications, however, the duration of the application of voltage can also be approximately one hour and more.

In principle, the microorganisms can be killed in two ways by creating a so-called resonance catastrophe. On the one hand, this can be done by applying a population or a larger quantity with the natural frequency characteristic of this quantity. On the other hand, it is also possible to borrow individual microorganisms with their so-called primal frequency, that is, the natural frequency related to this individual, to vibrate and thus resonate, which can result in destruction.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, the AC voltage can be in a range of less than 40 volts or up to 50 volts. Typically, no more than about 15 mA is required as the current intensity for causing a resonance catastrophe. If the microorganisms form a very high electrical resistance, the current intensity can, however, also be increased accordingly in order to be able to ensure a sufficient current flow.

The AC voltage should preferably have an approximately symmetrical portion of positive and negative half-waves in order to prevent the microorganisms from being exposed to a superimposed DC voltage, since this may affect the effectiveness of the method according to the invention. could reduce. If DC components were applied, electrolysis processes could be triggered, which would not lead to the desired relatively rapid killing of the microorganisms.

In principle, any type of AC voltage is suitable for the method. This can be a sine voltage, for example. However, other waveform shapes are also possible, for example a rectangular, a triangular or a sawtooth waveform of the AC voltage.

The method according to the invention is particularly suitable for disinfecting a large amount of water, for example in public swimming pools, where chlorine is usually used as a disinfectant. First and foremost, it is intended to make those that occur relatively frequently in water and become strong propagating ■ coli bacteria are killed. For this reason, the contamination with coli bacteria is also used as an indicator for the pollution of a water accumulation. The coli bacteria typically divide into cycles of approximately 20 minutes. These division processes can be stopped with the method according to the invention and the existing bacteria can be killed. The amount of water to be disinfected can be provided with electrodes, by means of which an alternating voltage can be applied at a frequency which makes sense according to the invention over a period of about 1 to 1.5 hours. The voltage can be around 40 volts and the current can be around 15 milliamperes.

Further applications of the invention are the preservation of foods, especially those that cannot be preserved otherwise, for example by means of freezing processes. Since some foods are impaired in their taste and appearance by freezing, they can be disinfected and preserved in an advantageous manner using the method according to the invention.

Other areas of application are, in particular, medicine and diagnostics. Microorganisms can be selectively destroyed with the aid of the method according to the invention. Previously, it could be determined by laboratory chemistry which microorganisms are to be killed and thus which resonance frequency is to be used for the microorganisms. Furthermore, with sufficient refinement of the methods, a diagnosis with subsequent killing of the Problem germs or the problem microorganisms possible. In addition, the application of the method for killing medical viruses offers further, previously unknown possibilities.

According to a development of the invention, it is provided that coli bacteria are used as microorganisms which are subjected to an alternating voltage with their resonance frequency / natural frequency of 12,000,000 Hz to 12,200,000 Hz, in particular 12,100,000 Hz, preferably 12,093,750 Hz become. This frequency, which is the natural frequency or resonance frequency of the coli bacteria, kills the coli bacteria within a very short time and with only a very low current. In particular, a sinusoidal voltage is used as the alternating voltage, the voltage level of the alternating voltage being selected such that a current of at most 15 A is established. Such a low current is not harmful to the human body. Nevertheless, the coli bacteria are surely killed due to the onset of the resonance catastrophe.

In a further embodiment of the invention, microorganisms are understood to mean cells, in particular mammalian cells, preferably animal or human cells. This also includes plant cells. By means of the method according to the invention, all these cells are subjected to an alternating voltage, the frequency of which is in each case the natural frequency of the respective cell or cells mentioned, as a result of which a very low current or Level of cell killing occurs. It is particularly preferred if cancer cells, in particular human, animal or plant cancer cells, are used as cells, so that the application of these cells to the resonant frequency / natural frequency of the cancer cells according to the method according to the invention leads to reduced cell growth or even to kill the cancer cells leads, - preferably without affecting healthy cells, since they have a different resonance frequency / natural frequency.

It is also advantageous, on the one hand, if a microorganism or microorganisms are or are subjected to / are scanned with a variable frequency in order to find the resonance frequency / natural frequency and an excess resonance of the electrical current is determined, the frequency present at the resonance point being found as the resonance frequency / natural frequency. A known microorganism is therefore subjected to a variable frequency and this frequency is changed in steps or continuously in order to determine a resonance increase in the electrical current acting on the microorganism. If this increase in resonance has been found, the associated frequency represents the resonance frequency or natural frequency of the microorganism. According to the invention, on the other hand, an unknown substance can be used to infer its content, that is to say the microorganisms present there, if it is scanned accordingly, that is, it is acted upon variable frequency, a resonance increase at a certain frequency is determined. The found frequency then indicates the microorganism. By determining the resonance frequency / natural frequency, it is therefore possible to determine the ingredients in relation to microorganisms within a sample.

The invention further relates to a device for killing microorganisms for carrying out the method described above.

Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of an electrical circuit arrangement with an AC voltage source for carrying out the method described above or for forming the above-mentioned device.

The invention further relates to the use / use of the method or the device, in each case within the scope of the above description, for combating disease in the human, animal or plant body or for preventing disease in the human, animal or plant body.

The invention further relates to a method for producing a device of the type described above, which is suitable according to the invention for killing microorganisms by means of an electrical alternating voltage or an electrical alternating current with a resonant frequency.

Finally, the invention relates to a method for sanitizing any arrangement, in particular the human, animal or plant-lend body by acting on the arrangement or the body with an electrical alternating voltage or an electrical alternating current, in each case according to the invention with resonance frequency. The resonance frequency refers to the microorganisms to be controlled. In the course of this application, microorganisms are understood to mean in particular bacteria, viruses, single or multi-cell organisms, single cells or the like. This can also be human, animal or plant cells.

Further features and advantages of the invention can be found in the dependent claims and the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram to illustrate the method according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an application of the method for water disinfection and

Figure 3 shows a circuit arrangement of an experimental circuit.

FIG. 1 shows a basic illustration of a possible application of the method according to the invention for killing microorganisms 10 which are arranged in an unstructured pile. This can in particular, bacteria, cells (including plant, animal or human species) and / or other microorganisms. In this pile of microorganisms 10, two electrodes 12 are sufficient, which are coupled to an AC voltage source 20 via connecting lines 14. By applying a suitable high-frequency AC voltage to the electrodes 12, the microorganisms 10 can be made to vibrate naturally, so that they are killed off when a so-called resonance catastrophe occurs.

A frequency of approximately 20 to 30 kHz for the excitation of 10 milligrams of pure bacteria, a voltage of up to 40 volts and a current of approximately 15 milliamps have proven to be useful parameters for the alternating voltage. To reliably kill all microorganisms 10, they should be exposed to the AC voltage for no less than 30 minutes, but preferably up to an hour or more.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a practical application of the method according to the invention, in which a quantity of water 18, which is contaminated with bacteria and is located in a water basin 16, is disinfected by exposure to a high-frequency alternating voltage 20. Here, too, two electrodes 12 are connected to the AC voltage source 20 via connecting lines 14. By applying an alternating voltage of a suitable frequency, the electrodes 12 ensure that bacteria and microorganisms in the water 18 are killed. The water pool 16 can in particular be a swimming pool, the water 18 of which is cleaned in this way. With the aid of the method according to the invention, the addition of chlorine as a disinfectant can be partially or completely dispensed with. This means a considerable gain in comfort for the bathers, since cleaning can be carried out in cyclical intervals whenever there is no bathing operation, especially in the evening or at night. When using chlorinated water, however, bathers are permanently exposed to it, since the chlorine cannot be temporarily removed from the water and added again outside of the bathing facility.

Examples

The invention is explained using the first example below. Symbioflor 2 is used as the test material, with one milliliter of Escherichia coli containing cells and autolysate from 10 ⁷ bacteria. Other components are sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and water (manufacturer Symbiopharm GmbH, Auf den Luppen, 35745 Herborn-Hörbach).

The Escherichia coli colony is grown on agar at 37 ° C for 12 hours. Then a frequency generator is used for scanning. This is to be understood to mean that, according to the circuit arrangement in FIG. 3, a connection of the output of the frequency generator 30 is connected to an electrode 32 via an electrical line 31 which is located in a sample cup 33. The electrical line 31 is also connected to ground 34. The other connection of the output of the frequency generator 30 is connected to an electrical resistor R, which leads via an electrical line 35 to a further electrode 36, which is also located within the sample cup 33 at a distance from the electrode 32. An oscilloscope 37, which measures the voltage drop of the resistor R, lies parallel to the electrical resistor R. The frequency generator is the HM8 131-2 from HAMEG (15 MHz), the oscilloscope comes from Tetronix, model TDS210 (Digital-Real-Time Oscilloscope) 60 MHz. In addition to the oscilloscope, a recorder can also be provided, in particular from the Linseis company, model No. L120E, with which the voltage displayed on the screen of the oscilloscope can be recorded in the form of a printout of the recorder.

When the experiment is carried out, the frequency generator is scanned, that is, the frequency generator feeds a current of 15 A through a sample of the aforementioned symbioflor 2 located in the sample cup 33. The current thus passes through the sample in the sample cup 33 a sinusoidal current flow from electrode to electrode. The frequency generator increases the frequency by 500 Hz / s. In the frequency range from 12,050,000 to 12,150,000, there is a pronounced oscillation, especially a peak, on the screen of the oscilloscope or on the recorder. The determined The middle area is scanned again using 10 ml of Symbioflor 2, a frequency increase of 5 Hz / s now being carried out. Again, there is a pronounced, excessive resonance formation of the current at a frequency of 12,093,750 Hz. The supply takes place with a sinusoidal AC voltage, that is, a sine current is formed.

In a second example, the electrodes 32 and 36 are used to apply 8 ml of the above-mentioned coli-containing liquid to an electrical, sinusoidal alternating current with a frequency of 12,093,750 Hz. The original liquid of the coli-containing substance was previously spread on blood agar (Columbia blood agar, heipha Dr. Müller GmbH). Further smears then take place every hour, preferably for 6 hours. Then the agar is incubated in a warming cabinet at 37 ° C. Then an alternating current (sinusoidal current) is applied at a frequency of 12,093,750 Hz. The evaluation is carried out after a further 12 hours. It can be seen that after just one hour of current application there is significantly less growth compared to comparative smears. After 2 hours there is very little growth. No growth at all is discernible after 3 hours of current application. The above experiment is repeated several times, always producing approximately the same result.

In subsequent experiments, the frequency of 12,093,750 Hz found above by scanning is varied by +/- 50,000 and +/- 100,000 Hz, respectively. iert. This again takes place in the Escherichia coli colony mentioned, as explained above. It can be seen that the inhibition of growth gradually diminishes with a further distance from the above-mentioned frequency of 12,093,750 ^' Hz, which is a natural frequency / resonance frequency. With a frequency spacing of +/- 1,000,000 Hz, there is almost uninhibited growth of the colony in the smears in the hourly rhythm mentioned.

The output current of 15 A was preferably chosen because this is the highest permissible value in contact with a human organism.

In the experiment shown in FIG. 1, an alternating voltage with the peak value 2.5 V was emitted by the frequency generator 30. The resistance R is formed by a measuring resistance of size 11.2 ohms. A voltage of 0.78 V was measured across the resistor. This is the peak value that is present at the resonance point, i.e. in an Escherichia coli colony at 12,093,750 Hz alternating current.

When used in the laboratory area, by using the teaching according to the invention, namely by comparing the resonance values, known and / or unknown microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses or individual cells) can be recognized and determined much more quickly and easily.

Claims

Expectations

1. A method for killing microorganisms, in particular bacteria, viruses, single or multi-cell organisms, individual cells or the like. , in which an alternating voltage is applied to the microorganisms and excited to vibrate, characterized in that the alternating voltage (20) is operated at a frequency in the range of a natural frequency of the microorganisms (10).

2nd A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the alternating voltage (20) is operated at a frequency in the range between 20 and 30 kHz when it is subjected to approximately 10 mg each of pure microorganisms (10), in particular pure bacteria.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the microorganisms (10) are acted upon by an alternating voltage (20) over a period of at least 20 minutes.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the AC voltage (20) is less than 40 to 50 volts.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the microorganisms (10) are exposed to an alternating current of approximately 15 mA.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the AC voltage (20) has an approximately symmetrical portion of positive and negative half-waves.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the AC voltage (20) is a sine, a rectangular, a triangle or a sawtooth voltage.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that for disinfecting a quantity of water (18) in a water basin (16) contained microorganisms (10), in particular bacteria, are exposed to an alternating voltage.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that an alternating voltage (20) is applied to the food in order to preserve it.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the microorganisms used are Colibacteria which have an alternating voltage with their resonant frequency / natural frequency of 12,000,000 Hz to 12,200,000 Hz, in particular 12,100,000 Hz, preferably 12,093. 750 Hz.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the AC voltage is a sinusoidal voltage.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the voltage level of the AC voltage is selected such that a current of at most 15 mA is established.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that human, animal or plant cells are used as microorganisms.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that cancer cells, in particular human, animal or plant cancer cells, are used as cells.

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that to find the resonance frequency / natural frequency, a microorganism or microorganisms with a variable frequency are acted upon / scanned and a resonance increase of the electric current is determined, the frequency present at the resonance point being the resonance frequency / natural frequency is.

16. Device for killing microorganisms for carrying out the method according to one or more of the preceding claims.

17. Use of an electrical circuit arrangement with an AC voltage source for carrying out the method according to one or more of the preceding claims or for forming a device according to claim 16.

18. Use of the method or the device, in each case according to one or more of the preceding claims for combating disease in the human, animal or plant body or for preventing disease in the human, animal or plant body.

19. A method for producing a device according to one or more of the preceding claims, which is suitable for killing microorganisms by means of an electrical alternating voltage or an electrical alternating current with natural frequency / resonance frequency.

20. A method for sanitizing any arrangement, in particular the human, animal or plant body, by exposing the arrangement or the body to an electrical alternating voltage or an electrical alternating current, in each case with the natural frequency / resonance frequency of a microorganism or the germ or microorganisms or germs, in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims.