Silver and electricity can kill bacteria: Here ’ s how

Group members discussing experimental results in the Richter-Dahlfors lab. [Image from Laurent Mekul/Karolinska Institutet]Swedish researchers have developed a way to use silver nanoparticles and electrical currents to prevent bacteria from growing on plastic surfaces – helping to prevent hospital infections in the process. Large electric currents and high silver concentrations are known to kill bacteria but pose a risk to humans. Before the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center at Karolinska Institutet’s development, both components were never used in hospitals. Led by professor Agneta Richter-Dahlfors in Karolinska’s department of neuroscience, researchers were able to prove that dangerous levels of silver and electricity don’t have to be used to be effective in killing bacteria. “By targeting the bacteria on several fronts at the same time, the effect of different small attacks becomes larger than when each factor is acting on its own,” Richter-Dahlfors said in a press release. Read the full story on our sister site Medical Design & Outsourcing.  The post Silver and electricity can kill bacteria: Here’s how appeared first on MassDevice.
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Research & Development karolinskainstitutet Source Type: news