An Antimicrobial Blue Light Prototype Device Controls Infected Wounds in a Preclinical Porcine Model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Infectious Diseases
• Dermatology

Background:

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a significant threat to wound healing.
• Current treatment strategies for contaminated wounds face challenges with antibiotic resistance.
• Novel antimicrobial strategies are crucial for effective wound management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a prototype antimicrobial blue light (ABL) device in treating MRSA-contaminated skin wounds.
• To assess the potential of ABL therapy as a non-antibiotic approach to combat wound infections.

Main Methods:

• Developed a translational prototype ABL device for wound treatment.
• Created partial-thickness surgical wounds in swine, a model with human-like skin.
• Contaminated wounds with MRSA and treated with ABL over two daily sessions.

Main Results:

• ABL treatment significantly reduced MRSA infection by over 4 orders of magnitude (>99.99%; P < .0001) compared to untreated controls.
• The reduction was observed after only two daily treatment sessions.
• No adverse effects or complications were noted in the treated wounds.

Conclusions:

• ABL therapy demonstrates potent antimicrobial activity against MRSA in a preclinical wound model.
• This technology supports the development of ABL devices for controlling skin wound infections.
• ABL offers a promising adjunctive or alternative strategy to reduce antibiotic reliance and combat antimicrobial resistance in wound care.