'Killer' dye to combat both MRSA and C-diff
Killer dyes and paints, activated by switching on a light, could be used to fight superbugs in patient wounds after operations and across hospital surfaces, scientists at a meeting in Trinity College Dublin have been told.
The killer dye, activated by infrared light, could be used on patients after an operation to make sure the wounds do not become infected by MRSA.
Special paints with nano-particles for titanium oxide, which kill superbugs when fluorescent lights are switched on, could also be used on hospital walls, ceilings and surfaces.
Details of the killer dye and the paint were outlined at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in TCD.
The dye, called indocyanine green, is harmless to humans and inactive in the dark. Under near infrared light, however, it gives off toxic molecules that rapidly kill MRSA, which infects wounds and burns.
According to the researchers the chemicals in the dye, when activated, "harm the bacteria in such a wide variety of ways that is is unlikely the bacteria could ever develop resistance to the treatment".
This makes it ideal "and possibly the only option for treating infections with multiple drug resistant bacteria, including MRSA", Dr Ghada Omar from University College London told delegates
"We showed that 99pc of the potentially dangerous Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in infected wounds can be killed," he added.
Infected wounds are a major problem for thousands of hospital patients every year, and up to 9pc of hospital acquired infections occur during surgery, contributing to 77pc of deaths from surgical operations.
Costs
These infections increase the length of time patients must remain in hospital by an average of 10 days, increasing the costs of a hospital stay by more than €3,500.
Apart from hospitals, the paints could be used in bathrooms, child-care facilities and public toilets.
"In all these places, surface hygiene could be improved by the action of fluorescent light on catalytic surfaces such as paints containing nanotitanium. This would slow down contamination and save on the costs of cleaning maintenance," said Lucia Caballero from Manchester Metropolitan University.
- Clodagh Sheehy
