Light-activated coating helps fight against hospital-acquired infections
A new hard coating with antibacterial properties that has been tested by researchers at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute in London has been shown to kill 99.9% of E. coli bacteria when a white hospital light was shone on its surface to activate it. Zoie Aiken and her colleagues presented the findings of the study at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate.
The veneer-like coating is made of titanium dioxide with added nitrogen. When activated by white light, similar to that used in hospital wards and operating theatres, there was a decrease in the number of bacteria surviving on the test surface.
“The activity of the coating will be assessed against a range of different bacteria such as MRSA and other organisms which are known to cause infections in hospitals,” said Aiken.
“At present we only know that the coating is active against E. coli. However, E. coli is more difficult to kill than bacteria from the Staphylococcus group, which includes MRSA, so the results to date are encouraging.”
The coating has so far been applied to glass using APCVD (atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition). Aiken and her colleagues are also experimenting with different materials such as plastic. For example, the coating could be applied to a plastic sheet that could be used to cover a computer keyboard on a hospital ward. The lights in the ward will keep the coating activated, which will in turn continue to kill any bacteria that may be transferred onto the keyboard from the hands of healthcare workers. www.alphagalileo.org www.sgmharrogate2009.org.uk