Strathclyde scientists devise solution for eradicating MRSA
Scientists from the Department of Bioscience at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland have come up with a model solution to the challenge of eradicating drug-resistant infections such as MRSA in hospitals without the associated dangers of increasing antibiotic resistance.
Mike Mattey, Janice Spencer, Fiona McColm and Luisa Verrechia have demonstrated that attempting to kill all unwanted bacteria using antibiotics is counterproductive. Their recommendation is to concentrate on the small percentage of bacteria that have already mutated to become drug-resistant.
“By identifying already resistant strains and using existing bacteriophage technology to eradicate only those, we effectively stop antibiotic-resistant strains of infection in their tracks,” said Mattey. “Our model demonstrates that selective control can achieve the desired outcomes without significantly altering current prescribing or cleaning practices in hospitals.
“General cleaning remains crucial in tackling infection but selective targeting of particularly problematic bacteria is needed as well. Our model shows that this could be achieved cost-effectively by incorporating modified bacteriophages into day-to-day cleaning materials.”
This selective control has the potential to prevent resistant strains from becoming dominant and to practise “genocide” on the most troublesome bacteria, the scientists claim.
Bacteriophages have long been known to have precisely the properties that are required for the elimination of resistant bacteria, but their major problem is that they are only effective in water. Immobilisation of bacteriophages, however, offers a solution.
Immobilised bacteriophages have an effective lifetime under normal room conditions greater than resistant bacteria. This allows bacteriophages to kill their target bacteria if the bacteria are growing or to remain quiescent if the bacteria are not growing. If bacteria in the presence of immobilised bacteriophages start growing then they will be killed.
“This altered, selective pressure has the potential to prevent resistant strains from becoming dominant,” Mattey added.