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.

Read the article.