Novel Detection of Nasty Bugs, Prevention Is Better than Cure

Abstract

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a growing concern around the world. They contribute to increasing mortality and morbidity rates and are an economic threat. All hospital patients have the potential to contract an HAI, but those with weakened or inferior immune systems are at highest risk. Most hospital patients will contract at least one HAI, but many will contract multiple ones. Bacteria are the most common cause of HAIs and contribute to 80–90% of all HAIs, with Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae accounting for the majority. Each of these bacteria are highly resistant to antibiotics and can produce a protective film, known as a biofilm, to further prevent their eradication. It has been shown that by detecting and eradicating bacteria in the environment, infection rates can be reduced. The current methods for detecting bacteria are time consuming, non-specific, and prone to false negatives or false positives. Aptamer-based biosensors have demonstrated specific, time-efficient and simple detection, highlighting the likelihood that they could be used in a similar way to detect HAI-causing bacteria.

Antimicrobial Effect of Plasma-Activated Tap Water on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans

“…The PAW obtained under agitation conditions showed a more uniform acidity between the areas evaluated with pH 3.5 and ORP of 215 mV. These parameters are related to the long-lived RONS species, namely, ozone (O 3 ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), nitrates (NO 3 − ) and nitrites (NO 2 − ) [8,[52][53][54][55]. Thus, the FVFR G arc system with moving water proved to be a very efficient activation treatment for tap water compared to the DBD system [46] and Inductively Limited Discharge [24].…”

“…ORP is reported to be the principal responsible for destructing microbiological systems' membrane integrity with the fundamental function of affecting the cells' inner and outer membranes [52]. Among the RONS generated in PAW, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is mainly responsible for the formation of ORP [53] and has a rapid potential for disinfection of liquids [17,54,55].…”

“…To screen PAW antimicrobial activity, three clinically relevant microbial species, were included in the study. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were included, as they are related to infections acquired in hospital environments [55] and represent the main groups of bacteria (Gram-positive and Gram-negative, respectively). Candida albicans are a species of opportunistic fungus that can cause various human diseases, from superficial to widespread infections [56].…”

Nebulized plasma‐activated water has an effective antimicrobial effect on medically relevant microbial species and maintains its physicochemical properties in tube lengths from 0.1 up to 1.0 m

“…To study the antimicrobial efficacy of NPAW, three clinically relevant microbial species were selected; namely, (i) C. albicans , a species of fungus responsible for causing superficial and widespread human infections, [ 34,35 ] (ii) S. aureus , and (iii) E. coli , both belong to the groups of bacteria that are related to infections acquired in hospitals, including bacterial colonization induced in tubes coupled to the airways. [ 12,34,36 ] Recently, the correlation of specific microbial species, such as S. aureus , has been reported in patients with significant airway granulation. [ 34 ] This granulation of the tissue can cause treatment delays, treatment failure, or prolonged treatment with tubes attached to the airways, leading to severe bacterial infection.…”

Hyperimmune yolk extract with Immunoglobulin Y basic active principle as a possible adjuvant treatment in patients who need/benefit from neurorehabilitation, with Clostridium difficile (Clostridioides difficile) enterocolitis as intercurrent comorbidity – a systematic literature review

“…In the last two decades, bacterial resistance to antibiotics has continually increased, becoming one of the most important public health problems worldwide [ 19 , 20 ]. The use of antibiotics in animal rearing is also responsible for this problem [ 21 ].…”