http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/30/content_10735134.htm

Blue light destroys antibiotic-resistant staph infection


www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-30 06:31:44 Print

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Two common strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA, were virtually eradicated in the laboratory after being exposed to a wavelength of blue light, according to a paper published online on Thursday ahead of print in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery.

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections represent an important and increasing public health threat. At present, fewer than 5 percent of staphylococcal strains are susceptible to penicillin, while approximately 40 percent to 50 percent of Staph aureus isolated have developed resistance to newer semisynthetic antibiotics such as methicillin as well.

Researchers from the New York Institute of Technology had previously demonstrated that a process called photo-irradiation using 405-nm light destroys MRSA strains grown in culture. In the current study, the authors exposed bacterial colonies of MRSA to various doses of 470-nm light, which emits no UV radiation.

The two MRSA populations studied -- the US-300 strain of CA-MRSA and the IS-853 strain of HA-MRSA -- represent prominent community-acquired and hospital-acquired strains, respectively.

The authors report that the higher the dose of 470-nm blue light, the more bacteria were killed. High-dose photo-irradiation was able to destroy 90.4 percent of the US-300 colonies and the IS-853 colonies. The effectiveness of blue light in vitro suggests that it should also be effective in human cases of MRSA infection, and particularly in cutaneous and subcutaneous infections.

"It is inspiring that an inexpensive naturally visible wavelength of light can eradicate two common strains of MRSA. Developing strategies that are capable of destroying MRSA, using mechanisms that would not lead to further antibiotic resistance, is timely and important for us and our patients," says Chukuka S. Enwemeka, first author of the study.

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