As the world battles with anti-microbial resistance that is posing huge health burden, scientists have developed a self-cleaning surface that repels the superbugs and deadly pathogens. The one of its kind technique is based on the water repelling properties of the lotus plants and can be useful in the settings ranging from hospitals to kitchens as well as ideal for food packaging.
According to the team of researchers at McMaster University, the plastic can be shrink-wrapped onto door handles, railings, IV stands and other surfaces that can be magnets for bacteria such as MRSA and C. difficile. The study is published in the international journal ACS Nano.
The treated material is also ideal for food packaging, where it could stop the accidental transfer of bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and listeria from raw chicken, meat and other foods, said the researchers led by engineers Leyla Soleymani and Tohid Didar who collaborated with colleagues from McMaster's Institute for Infectious Disease Research and the McMaster-based Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy.
The research is important given that antimicrobial resistance has become a huge burden on the health system, responsible for thousands of deaths each year. Unless this threat is urgently addressed, it may lead to more than 10 million people dying every year by 2050, as per the WHO reports.
The surface is textured with microscopic wrinkles that exclude all external molecules. Citing an example, the researchers said that like a drop of water or blood simply bounces away when it lands on the surface, the same is true for bacteria.
One of the lead engineers on the project, Leyla Soleymani, said: "We're structurally tuning that plastic. This material gives us something that can be applied to all kinds of things."
The surface was also treated chemically to further enhance its repellent properties, resulting in a barrier that was flexible, durable and inexpensive to reproduce.
Tohid Didar, co-lead on the project, said: "We can see this technology being used in all kinds of institutional and domestic settings. As the world confronts the crisis of anti-microbial resistance, we hope it will become an important part of the anti-bacterial toolbox."
The researchers had tested the material using two of the most troubling forms of antibiotic-resistant bacteria: MRSA and Pseudomonas, with the collaboration of Eric Brown of McMaster's Institute for Infectious Disease Research.
After verifying the effectiveness of the surface by capturing electron microscope images which showed virtually no bacteria could transfer to the new surface, the researchers are now aiming to develop commercial applications for the wrap.