Superbug That Can Feed on Plastic Is Spreading in Hospitals
Researchers from the Brunel University of London have found, per a new study in the journal Cell, that the bacterial Pseudomonas aeruginosa appears to "digest" medical plastic.
Associated with more than 559,000 deaths globally per year, this drug-resistant bug is, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, believed to cause other illnesses like pneumonia or urinary tract infections. People often seem to develop it after surgery, but until this study, researchers weren't aware that it might be living or feeding on medical plastics.
By analyzing a strain of the bacteria taken from a patient's wound swab, the microbial researchers found that P. aeruginosa seems specifically to survive longer on polycaprolactone, a plastic used in all kinds of medical interventions ranging from sutures, stints, and surgical mesh to wound dressings, drug-delivery patches, and implants.
In Brunel University's press release about the "world-first" research, study leader Ronan McCarthy said this finding suggests that medical professionals should rethink how bugs spread throughout hospitals and other healthcare settings.
"Plastics, including plastic surfaces, could potentially be food for these bacteria," McCarthy said. "Pathogens with this ability could survive for longer in the hospital environment."
The study also, as the professor noted, "means that any medical device or treatment that contains plastic" — including the ventilators some pneumonia patients need and catheters necessary for UTIs — "could be susceptible to degradation by bacteria."
Beyond its ability to break down such important medical tools, the researchers also found that the enzyme they isolated appears to grow stronger biofilms, or outer layers that help bacteria resist antibiotics and make them harder to treat, after digesting plastic.
Though there will obviously need to be more study to figure out how best to head off this plastic-eating menace, there's a 200-year history of pathogenic adaptation behind P. aeruginosa that suggests it may eventually circumvent any such measures.
Still, McCarthy pointed out that scientists "need to understand the impact this has on patient safety."
"Plastic is everywhere in modern medicine," he said, "and it turns out some pathogens have adapted to degrade it."
More on bacteria: Mysterious Bacteria Not Found on Earth Are Growing on China's Space Station
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NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
Watch out for this new invasive tick. It could saddle you with a little-known, debilitating infection
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The longhorned tick, which is native to East Asia, first invaded places like Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. It has nowbeen detected in at least 21 states in the U.S. with Michigan reporting its first sighting at the end of June. Researchers aren't sure how the tick made it to the U.S., but it's likely it arrived on the backs of imported livestock or other animals. In 2017, scientists identified the country's first longhorned tick in New Jersey, though it's likely the species has been in the U.S. since at least 2010. 'The fact it was here for so long without us actually knowing about it was really a wakeup call,' said Dana Price, an associate research professor in the department of entomology at Rutgers University. Modeling indicates areas from southern Canada throughout the continental U.S. are environmentally suitable to the longhorned tick. That means the threat is two-fold: The longhorned's geographic range is expanding and so is the time that they're active and able to transmit disease, scientists said. Ehrlichiosis is becoming so prevalent that there is a region of the country unofficially named after it: The 'Ehrlichiosis Belt' stretches from as far north as Connecticut and New York to as far west as Arkansas. The lone star and blacklegged ticks have long carried Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the bacteria that causes Ehrlichiosis. The infection sends about 60% of patients to the hospital and claims the lives of about 1 in 100 patients, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Infected individuals will typically experience fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue one to two weeks after being bitten. But if people aren't treated quickly, the infection can sometimes lead to brain and nervous system damage, respiratory failure, uncontrolled bleeding and organ failure. 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When she couldn't pick up and carry her 2-year-old son, her friend, who is a nurse, suggested she go to the hospital immediately. The friend suspected Platt might have a tick-borne infection. Platt was sick and on antibiotics for months after her diagnosis. Her shoulder locked due to the infection — a rare but contractable chronic symptom of tick-borne disease — leading to months of physical therapy and putting her out of work for three months. It took her more than a year to fully recover from the lasting impacts of the infection. 'The best way I'd describe it,' she said, 'is I felt like death.' A few years after she started feeling better, she was diagnosed with Lyme and Babesiosis diseases — which she attributes to the same tick bite. Platt, who co-founded the advocacy nonprofit Tick-Borne Conditions United, said she hopes the recent discovery of the Ehrlichia bacteria in the longhorned tick will help raise awareness among doctors and the general public about the threat of tick-borne diseases, especially little-known ones like Ehrlichiosis. 'My mission in life is to support people in being who they are,' Platt said. 'And if you're sick from a tick-borne disease, you can't be who you are.'
Scientific American
2 days ago
- Scientific American
New Brain Device Is First to Read Out Inner Speech
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Both use sensors implanted in a part of the brain called the motor cortex, which sends motion commands to the vocal tract. The brain activation detected by these sensors is then fed into a machine-learning model to interpret which brain signals correspond to which sounds for an individual user. It then uses those data to predict which word the user is attempting to say. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. But the motor cortex doesn't only light up when we attempt to speak; it's also involved, to a lesser extent, in imagined speech. The researchers took advantage of this to develop their 'inner speech' decoding device and published the results on Thursday in Cell. 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The contribution and willingness of the research participants are crucial in studies like this, Kunz notes. 'The participants that we have are truly incredible individuals who volunteered to be in the study not necessarily to get a benefit to themselves but to help develop this technology for people with paralysis down the line. And I think that they deserve all the credit in the world for that.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Decoding The Molecular Benefits Of Exercise
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