A pathogen dangerous for public health can use plastic in hospital devices to build biofilm more resistant to antibiotics.
A bacterium that represents one of the main causes of infection in hospitalized patients is capable of Feeding on hospital plastic and to use it to your advantage. A very welcome ability in some environmental bacteria, that of knowing how to degrade plastic, could prove deleterious in hospitals, where plastic is used in devices and life -saving medications.
The pseudomonas aeruginosa, mangiaplastica
A group of scientists from Brunel University in London has inspected the genome of some well-known hospital bacteria, to understand if they presented the same eaters-plastic enzymes as certain pathogens spread in the environment. In recent years, several bacteria have been discovered capable of degrading the plastic that we disperse, thanks to specialized enzymes. These microorganisms could help us develop more efficient and sustainable forms of recycling and waste disposal.
The researchers discovered the presence of a pimp enzyme even in a specific strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in a patient hospitalized for an infection with a wound. The P. Aeruginosa It is a pathogen attached by the WHO for its ability to prevent antibiotics from penetrating its external membrane: implicated in antibiotic-resistance phenomena, in people with compromised immune defenses it can cause extensive infections, such as pneumonia, meningitis and blood infections. For these reasons it is associated with about 559,000 global deaths every year.
Plastic shields for hospital bacteria
By studying the relationship between the super bacterium and plastic in the laboratory, scientists have noticed that not only P. Aeruginosa He could degrade the plastic. He used it as an ingredient to multiply and strengthen his defenses. Or – if you prefer – as an ingredient to cement the adhesive and protective matrix that protects the aggregations of P. Aeruginosa (biofilm). In practice, the bacterium was using plastic for strengthen its shield and create more resistant biofilm to the action of antibiotics. Including degraded plastic in the “film”, the bacterium managed to create more extensive and stronger communities.
The meaning of the discovery for hospital infections
In hospitals plastic (initially sterile and disposable) It is found everywhere: in gloves, patches, sutures, catheters, syringes, bottles, food trays, clothing. Bacteria like it P. Aeruginosa They could take advantage of the appetite for plastic to survive longer in these environments. Indeed, this ability may have contributed to making the pathogen so ubiqui in the hospital.
The study suggests that the ability of this and other pathogens of degrade plastic where it must remain intact can constitute a serious risk for the health of those who depend on medical devices of this material.
But it also offers a solution: to add antimicrobial substances to the hospital plastic to limit the proliferation of dangerous pathogens.
