As antibiotic resistance becomes a pertinent public health threat, alternatives to traditional antibiotic therapies have been sought. One area being explored is host defense peptides, also known as antimicrobial peptides or AMPs, natural parts of innate immune response found in every classification of life. AMPs are broad spectrum and have been demonstrated to kill everything from viruses to gram-negative bacteria with a variety of modes of action.
The imidazolium oligomers are simply a white powder that is soluble in water. The research team determined that if the powder was dissolved in alcohol, gels spontaneously formed. This stuff could be used in alcohol sprays that sterilize hospitals or homes.
“The global threat of drug-resistant bacteria has given rise to the urgent need for new materials that can kill and prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Our new antimicrobial material could be used in consumer and personal care products to support good personal hygiene practices and prevent the spread of infectious diseases,” said the Executive Director of IBN, Professor Jackie Y. Ying.
While E. coli is normally found in the intestines of humans and animals, there are some strains that can cause serious illness and even death. That kind of bacterial infection is also contagious and can spread easily through contaminated food or water, or just from contact with people or animals. Good hygiene practices like hand washing can help prevent E. coli infections.
Other than E. coli, the team also tested IBN’s new material against other common strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi, such as Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These pathogens can cause conditions ranging from skin infections to pneumonia and toxic shock syndrome. The material killed 99.9% of those microbes within just two minutes.
This rapid bacteria-killing material might just be a powerful new weapon against drug-resistant microbes.
Sources: A*STAR Sinagpore via Science Daily, Small via Wiley Online Library, Nature