MRSA (Mersa) Questions

Particles of silver could be used against MRSA

Link: Life Style Extra.

     Scientists have known for years that silver kills germs but it is most effective in the form of nanoparticles - tiny flecks of metal containing just a few hundred atoms. But the problem is that nanoparticles are hard to make in a useful form. Now a team of physicists at Leicester University have built a machine that can produce them by the bottle, which could potenially save thousands of lives a year. Chris Binns, professor of nanoscience at Leicester, said the microscopic silver particles are small enough to pass inside the germs and disrupt their inner workings - but they do not kill human cells. Just two or three nanoparticles are enough to kill one germ cell. This means the nanoparticles could be a vital weapon in fighting the deadly diseases caused by bacteria. The bacteria in the lungs of cystic fibrosis sufferers are especially hard to kill because a thick coating of mucus protects them from drugs, but nanoparticles can pass through, said professor Binns. With the prototype �250,000 machine - about the size of a motorbike - the researchers have found a way to produce particles all the same size suspended in a liquid, which means it can be put in an aerosol and breathed in. It could also be injected.

"Silver bullets" could blast MRSA

Link: BBC NEWS

    Medical experts in Leicester say treatment using silver could help to prevent MRSA, cystic fibrosis and Aids. Researchers at the University of Leicester are developing pills dubbed "silver bullets" for potential use by patients. Silver is already used in some household products because it is highly toxic to a wide range of bacteria. Researchers say they must still overcome some technical issues before the treatment becomes effective.

Silver Catheter Resistant to MRSA

Link: Vygon

      Vygon (UK) Ltd (http://www.vygon.com) announces the availability of the Lifecath Expert - a silver impregnated, long-term, cuffed catheter which has antimicrobial protection and is resistant to MRSA. The product is adept at reducing the risk of line infections for cancer patients requiring long term intravenous therapy. Les Davies, MD of Vygon, says: “As a company specialising in vascular access devices, we are aware of the growing health concerns caused by resistant bacteria and infections in hospitals. If used in conjunction with a comprehensive infection control policy, the Lifecath Expert is a real answer to a very real need.” Patients with intravenous catheters in-situ for chemotherapy and other long-term intravenous therapy commonly use cuffed silicone catheters as their preferred central vascular access device. Although the incorporation of silver in vascular access devices is not new, the Lifecath Expert is the first long-term cuffed catheter available in the UK to be impregnated with silver throughout its inner and outer surfaces, offering long-term protection.

Silver dressings: an in vitro comparison

Link: Journal of Medical Microbiology.

    A range of silver-coated or -impregnated dressings are now commercially available for use but comparative data on their antimicrobial efficacies are limited. The antibacterial activities of five commercially available silver-coated/impregnated dressings were compared against nine common burn-wound pathogens, namely methicillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus vulgaris, Acinetobacter baumannii and a multi-drug-efflux-positive Acinetobacter baumannii (BM4454), using a broth culture method. The rapidity and extent of killing of these pathogens under in vitro conditions were evaluated. All five silver-impregnated dressings investigated exerted bactericidal activity, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria, including Enterobacter species, Proteus species and E. coli. The spectrum and rapidity of action, however, ranged widely for different dressings. Acticoat and Contreet had a broad spectrum of bactericidal activities against both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Contreet was characterized by a very rapid bactericidal action and achieved a reduction of >=10 000 c.f.u. ml–1 in the first 30 min for Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumanii. Other dressings demonstrated a narrower range of bactericidal activities. Understanding the characteristics of these dressings may enable them to be targeted more appropriately according to the specific requirements for use of a particular dressing, as in for prophylaxis in skin grafting or for an infected wound with MRSA.

Graft infectivity of rifampin and silver-bonded polyester grafts to MRSA contamination.

Link: Graft infectivity

Neither rifampin- nor silver-bonded grafts demonstrated prolonged resistance to surface MRSA contamination. Rifampin-soaked polyester grafts exhibited a marked but transient resistance MRSA colonization likely the result of high antibiotic concentration in the perigraft tissue. While both types of grafts failed to eradicate the MRSA infection future research with silver-bonded grafts that have an additional antibiotic attached may have a place in the treatment of MRSA infection.

Anti-MRSA silver fabric trialled

Link: BBC NEWS

A fabric that developers claim helps to kill the MRSA superbug is being trialled at hospitals. The material, made at the Toray fabric factory in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, features a silver yarn woven into it. Factory bosses claim research showed it was proven to kill more than 99% of the bacteria. It is being used in curtains in wards at Great Ormond Street Hospital and in surgeons' gowns nurses' uniforms in other hospitals. 'Kills bacteria' Sales manager Simon Burnett-Boothroyd said: "We are using a silver iron technology that we weave into our fabric. "The silver ionises when it is in the presence of bacteria and this ionisation process kills the bacteria that are present, on or near the fabric. "We have research which says if a person that happens to have MRSA touches the fabric and another person one hour later touches the fabric, they will not cross-contaminate from one person to another.

Silver dressing study deemed a success

Link: Nurses Fight Back Against MRSA.

A new treatment protocol to reduce MRSA infections using an antimicrobial wound dressing ACTISORB Silver 220 at open treatments sites is so successful that it has been made standard policy across the Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Hospitals Trust. The procedure was developed by two nurses, who were concerned at the level of MRSA infections at open treatment sites such as, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomies (PEG), tracheostomies and central venous catheters. They carried out a small open study in nine patients with MRSA infected PEG sites. With good wound care, wrapping ACTISORB Silver 220 around the wound entry site eradicated MRSA and the majority of wounds improved in one week. Since implementation of the peri-PEG skin policy, hospital admissions due to PEG problems have been markedly reduced with being people cared for in the community.

Research Shows Topical Silver An Effective Defense Against Growing MRSA Threat

Link: Research

AcryMed Inc., a medical device company specializing in wound care and infection control technology, today released research findings that show silver to be effective in combating MRSA topically, a potentially deadly infection that is raising growing concern among the medical community. MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of germ dubbed a “super bug’ due to its resistance against penicillin and other common antibiotics. According to a recent study conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA – an infection once confined to the hospital environment, is now quickly spreading among the general population. The CDC estimates that roughly 130,000 people are hospitalized with MRSA each year. Improperly treated, MRSA - which can be easily spread by casual contact via open cuts, rug burns and scrapes - can quickly become a difficult to treat and potentially deadly infection.

New coating for implantable devices

Link: Finance - canada.com network.

Covalon Technologies Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:COV) is extremely pleased to announce that it has received a U.S.A. patent and a European Patent Certificate for its method of making silver ion-releasing anti-microbial coatings for implantable medical devices for reducing hospital acquired infections in patients. Covalon has received U.S.A. and European patent protection for its technology in applying an anti-microbial, sustained silver ion-releasing coating/complex to wound dressings, skin surface coverings and implantable medical devices for deterring the onset of hospital acquired infections (HAI) in patients. The use of skin coverings and implanted medical devices are a vital component of clinical practice, however, complications may arise from their use. Complications include the potential of the device to become the focus of microbial contamination that may lead to an HAI in the patient.

New protocol to reduce MRSA using antimicrobial wound dressing ACTISORB* Silver 220

Link: New protocol

A new treatment protocol to reduce MRSA infections using an antimicrobial wound dressing ACTISORB* Silver 220 at open treatments sites is so successful that it has been made standard policy across the Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Hospitals Trust1. The procedure was developed by two nurses, who were concerned at the level of MRSA infections at open treatment sites such as, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomies (PEG), tracheostomies and central venous catheters. They carried out a small open study in nine patients with MRSA infected PEG sites. With good wound care, wrapping ACTISORB* Silver 220 around the wound entry site eradicated MRSA and the majority of wounds improved in one week. Since implementation of the peri-PEG skin policy, hospital admissions due to PEG problems have been markedly reduced with being people cared for in the communit