Otitis media (OM), known as a middle ear infection, is the leading cause of antibiotic prescriptions for children. With wide-spread use of antibiotics in OM, resistance to antibiotics continues to decrease the efficacy of the treatment. Furthermore, as the presence of a middle ear biofilm has contributed to this reduced susceptibility to antimicrobials, effective interventions are necessary. A miniaturized 3D-printed microplasma jet array has been developed to inactivate Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common bacterial strain associated with OM. The experiments demonstrate the disruption of planktonic and biofilm P. aeruginosa by long-lived molecular species generated by microplasma, as well as the synergy of combining microplasma treatment with antibiotic therapy. In addition, a middle ear phantom model was developed with an excised rat eardrum to investigate the antimicrobial effects of microplasma on bacteria located behind the eardrum, as in a patient-relevant setup. These results suggest the potential for microplasma as a new treatment paradigm for OM.

中耳炎 (OM) 被称为中耳感染，是儿童服用抗生素的主要原因。随着抗生素在 OM 中的广泛使用，抗生素耐药性继续降低治疗效果。此外，由于中耳生物膜的存在导致对抗菌药物的敏感性降低，因此有效的干预措施是必要的。微型 3D 打印微等离子体喷射阵列已被开发出来，用于灭活铜绿假单胞菌（一种与 OM 相关的常见细菌菌株）。实验证明了微等离子体产生的长寿命分子种类对浮游生物和生物膜铜绿假单胞菌的破坏，以及微等离子体治疗与抗生素治疗相结合的协同作用。此外，还利用切除的大鼠耳膜开发了中耳模型，以研究微等离子体对位于耳膜后面的细菌的抗菌作用，就像在患者相关的设置中一样。这些结果表明微等离子体作为 OM 新治疗范例的潜力。