United States: A new study has warned that an experimental electric bandage could assist doctors in eradicating bacterial infections without medicine.
Preliminary electrical currents introduced by means of a skin patch nearly reduced the amounts of Staphylococcus epidermidis, a bacterium typically found on the skin of people, by tenfold, as researchers observed on 24 October in the Device journal, as reported by HealthDay.
Potential for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Treatment
“This opens up exciting possibilities for drug-free treatments, especially for skin infections and wound healing, where antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a serious challenge,” said co-senior researcher Bozhi Tian, a professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago.
These scientists pointed out that electricity already is being used to treat a number of human ailments. Pacemakers function by applying electrical impulses for the heartbeat, while implants for blind people can partially help them regain vision as they apply electricity to the retina of the eye.
In a journal news release, which was used by researchers for this present study, they opted to investigate if bacteria can be controlled with electricity rather than with antibiotics.
Antibiotic-resistant infections could be a root cause of about 1.3 million deaths globally in 2019, researchers mentioned in the draft notes. They have also been used in human beings and livestock, and as a result, have led to the emergence of stronger bad dreams that are not easily dealt with by current vaccines.
Research on Electricity’s Effects on Bacteria
In the latest study, researchers were specifically interested in S. epidermidis because it is potentially dangerous for humans if it enters the body through a wound or when a person undergoes a medical procedure. Three Staphylococcus epidermis strains that have developed resistance to all classes of antibiotics have been identified.
“Because Staphylococcus is part of the microbial ecosystem that naturally exists on our skin, we prefer not to eradicate it, since their complete absence on our skin could cause other problems,” explained co-senior study author Gürol Süel, a professor of molecular biology with the University of California, San Diego.
The study data have shown that only in the acidic environment can the electric currents acting at the nanoscale fight S. epidermidis. Most chronic wounds are neither basic nor acidic but are at a pH level, while normal human skin is slightly acidic.
Key Findings
“Bacteria’s response to electricity isn’t well explored, partially because we don’t know the specific conditions under which bacteria will be excited,” said lead researcher Saehyun Kim, a graduate student at the University of Chicago. “Discovering this selective excitability will help us discover how to control other bacteria species by looking at different conditions.”
In ideal acidic conditions, a weak electric current of 1.5 voltage, far below the 15-volt threshold that humans cannot feel, reduced bacteria by 99 percent, the researchers observed, as reported by HealthDay.
But in a neutral pH, the electricity had no action against the bacteria.
Introducing the BLAST Patch
With this knowledge in mind, BLAST researchers devised a skin patch named the Bioelectronic Localized Antimicrobial Stimulation Therapy.
One is to provide the current, and the other is a water-based gel that provides an acidic environment on the skin.
