UBC Finds 'Silver Bullet' That Kills Bacteria & Can Stop Patients Getting These Infections

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a "silver bullet" that will help people with implanted medical devices from getting infected.

The new formulation that they discovered will kill bacteria, in turn preventing infection in patients with medical devices like stents, feeding tubes, and catheters.

It is literally a silver bullet too — a silver-based coating that is applied to the devices.

The UBC researchers overcame "the complications of silver that have challenged scientists for years" by creating this novel formula, says a press release.

While medical devices that are implanted into patients can save lives, they also carry a risk of infection. The release says that these infections usually come from the device being contaminated as it is being implanted.

In fact, one of the most common infections acquired in hospitals are urinary tract infections from catheters, the release adds.

The newly developed silver-based coating kills the harmful bacteria that cause these infections. Silver has been known to have this ability, but the release says that researchers have long been "stumped" on how to actually make it work — until now.

Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, a professor at UBC and co-senior author of the study, said that the coating is "highly effective" and that it "won't harm human tissues and could potentially eliminate implant-associated infections."

Silver is known to be pretty pricey, but the coating only requires a small amount. The release said that the amount needed to coat a catheter would only add about 50 cents to the cost.

The new coating formula is now going to clinical trials, and the researchers are "optimistic that their discovery could be in wide use to prevent infections in patients within the next decade."