Scientists from the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center have shown that a narrow wavelength of ultraviolet (UV) light safely killed drug-resistant MRSA bacteria in mice, according to an article on the Eureka Alert website.
The UV light is a potentially safe and cost-effective way to reduce surgical site infections.
A wavelength of UV light known as "far-UVC" is not only as effective as conventional germicidal UV light in killing MRSA, but also shows for the first time that, unlike conventional germicidal UV, far-UVC does not cause biological damage to exposed skin.
"Our new findings show that far-UVC light has enormous potential for combating the deadly and costly scourge of drug-resistant surgical site infections," said David J. Brenner, PhD, Higgins Professor of Radiation Biophysics, director of the Center for Radiological Research, and the senior author of the paper.
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