Antibiotic resistance is a scourge on the world that can be fatal. Two million Americans become infected with some drug-resistant bacteria annually in the United States and at least 23,000 deaths are attributable to drug resistant antibiotics. (1)
Specifically, methicillin-resistant staphylococcal aureus, or MRSA is one of the most common resistant bacteria we hear about. It is a significant contributor to infections that are tough and very costly to treat.
Antarctic sponge: Dendrilla membranosa
While years ago the highly-resistant MRSA infection was particularly problematic in places such as hospitals and nursing homes, it has developed into an infection that can be found in commonly used places such as gyms, locker rooms and schools. (2)
MRSA is unique in that it can cause infections in almost every niche of the human host, from skin infections, to pneumonia, to endocarditis, a serious infection of tissues lining the heart. Unfortunately, the pace of the pharmaceutical industry's effort to find new antibiotics to replace those no longer effective has slowed in recent years.
One recent success is from the work of Dr. Lindsey N. Shaw and colleagues at the University of South Florida. They have been conducting research on Antarctic sponges for quite some time and have discovered that one extract in particular, form the sponge Dendrilla membranosa, has proven effective against 98 percent of MRSA bacteria cells in the laboratory. The team has named this compound 'darwinolide.' (3)
Another effective agent in killing MRSA is copper. Not many people know that without copper the human body cannot survive. Now copper is providing another benefit. It kills a number of microorganisms including MRSA. And besides MRSA, the list tht copper and copper-alloy surfaces destroy includes E-coli 0157:H7, Clostridium difficile, influenza A virus, adenovirus and fungi.
Antimicrobial copper products kill greater than 99.9% of microorganisms
Independent laboratory testing has demonstrated that, when cleaned regularly, antimicrobial copper products kill greater than 99.9% of microorganisms. So, the next time you're in a hospital, if you see a lot of copper, rest assured your chances of getting an infection have been minimized. (4)
References
Lila Abassi, Form Antarctica's waters, a sponge to wipe MRSA away,'” American Council on Science and Health, May 18, 2016
Randolph Fillmore, “USF scientists discover Antarctic sponge extract can help kill MRSA,” eurekalert.org/pub, May 18, 2016
Jaccqueline L. vonSalm et al., “Darwinolide, a new diterpene scaffold that inhibits MRSA biofilm from the Antarctic sponge Dendrilla membranosa,” Org. Lett. DOI:10.1021/acs.orglett.6b00979, May 13, 2016
“Research proves antimicrobial copper reduces the risk of infections by more than 90%,” Medical University of South Carolina, July 1, 2011
Jack Dini is author of Challenging Environmental Mythology. He has also written for American Council on Science and Health, Environment & Climate News, and Hawaii Reporter.
Antibiotic resistance is a scourge on the world that can be fatal. Two million Americans become infected with some drug-resistant bacteria annually in the United States and at least 23,000 deaths are attributable to drug resistant antibiotics. (1)
Specifically, methicillin-resistant staphylococcal aureus, or MRSA is one of the most common resistant bacteria we hear about. It is a significant contributor to infections that are tough and very costly to treat.
