Graphite-embedded plastic kills 99.99% of bacteria on contact

Plastic surfaces embedded with graphite nanoplatelets reportedly can prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), killing 99.99% of bacteria that try to attach, according to research from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Human cells are around 25 times larger than bacteria (pictured here in green). While the graphite nanoplatelets slash and kill bacteria, they barely scratch a human cell. Image courtesy Chalmers University of Technology. ​At any given time, 7% of hospital patients in developed countries and 10% in developing economies will contract at least one HAI, according to the World Health Organization. In Europe, more than four million people are infected annually, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Many of these are bacterial infections that develop around medical devices and implants within the body, such as catheters, hip and knee prostheses or dental implants. In some cases, the implants need to be removed. It is also worth noting that bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics, which accelerates the development of antibiotic resistance. “The purpose of our research is to develop antibacterial surfaces which can reduce the number of infections and subsequent need for antibiotics, and to which bacteria cannot develop resistance,” said Santosh Pandit, postdoctoral researcher in the research group of Professor Ivan Mijakovic at the Division of Systems Biology, D...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Tags: Design News Source Type: news