Abstract
∗The activation effect of the nitrogen laser (wavelength = 337.1nm) with an energy density of 5.4 J/cm2 and exposure time of 15 minutes was studied in vitro on the biocidal efficiency of human neutrophils on internalized bacteria. Experimental models used previously have ruled out the direct inactivating effect of the nitrogen laser on bacteria. Experiments were conducted where the neutrophils were irradiated only after phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus had occurred. An identical group of unirradiated neutrophils handled in exactly the same way as the irradiated group served as the control. The surface adherent and non-phagocytosed S. aureus were inactivated by a novel approach of gentamicin treatment during washing. The results convincingly proved the accelerated destruction of the internalized phagocytosed bacteria in those neutrophils exposed to nitrogen laser in comparison to the non-irradiated controls.
