Scientists build 'roach motel' for nasty bugs of the bacteri...( that is highly toxic to bacteria much...)
" that is highly toxic to bacteria much like bleach or other potent sterilizers.
On the researchers' hunch the polymers could be used to keep surfaces cleansed, UF doctoral student Jonathan Sommer developed a method to shape them into microscopic spheres ranging in size from 1 to 5 microns, or 1- to 5-millionths of a meter.
Thomas Corbitt, a UNM doctoral student, and co-workers tested the spheres at the University of New Mexico, using a relatively safe bacteria that is closely related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common, persistent and lethal bacteria in hospitals. Often introduced via contaminated medical devices, that bacterium sickens or kills patients suffering from burns, cancer, AIDS other serious conditions. The strain the researchers used was Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, which is a close cousin but poses little health threat.
While Schanze said further tests are needed to nail down the spheres' potency, initial experiments revealed they wiped out more than 95 percent of nearby PAO1 bacteria after exposure to light for about an hour.
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| Contact: Kirk Schanze kschanze@chem.ufl.edu 352-392-9133 University of Florida Source:Eurekalert |
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