Staphylococcus epidermidis can enter the body through skin wounds
Scott Kamazin/Alamy
A patch that zaps the skin with electrical pulses could be used before and after surgery to prevent bacteria on the skin from causing sepsis and reduce dependence on antibiotics.
Staphylococcus epidermidis Bacteria usually live harmlessly on human skin, but if they enter the body through cracks in the skin after surgery or from conditions such as psoriasis, they can cause bloodstream infections and dangerously low blood pressure.
Antibiotics can prevent and treat these infections, but this has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. Staphylococcus epidermidis Appearing now. Looking for a different approach, Bozhi Tian and colleagues at the University of Chicago considered the possibility of electrical pulses, which have previously been shown to kill bacteria.
The researchers created square plastic patches that were 1 millimeter wide. Each patch contains gold electrodes that, when wired, generate electrical pulses that humans can’t feel. They then spread strains such as: Staphylococcus epidermidis Apply the patch to five samples of sterilized pig skin and place the patch on top of each piece.
After zapping the skin for 10 seconds every 10 minutes for 18 hours, the research team found: Staphylococcus epidermidis In these samples, levels were reduced by a factor of 10 compared to other samples with patches, but no electrical pulses were delivered.
This intervention also disrupts the ability of bacteria to bind together and form layers called biofilms, which are thought to lead to more severe infections.
The results suggest that patches that can be cut to any size could theoretically reduce the risk of severe drug resistance. Staphylococcus epidermidis Tian says it’s an infectious disease.
Munehiro Asli from the University of Warwick in the UK says widespread use of antibiotics is causing an increase in drug resistance and this alternative approach could help slow the crisis. But it’s unclear how the patch affects other bacteria on the skin that can cause sepsis, he says.
Tian’s team plans to investigate this in further studies and test the approach in live animals, preferably within about a year.
topic:
(tag to translate) skin
