Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa
infections of the skin and soft tissues, while preserving the outermost layer
of skin, according to a proof-of-principle study led by Michael R. Hamblin of
the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Harvard Medical School, Boston. The
research is published online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents
and Chemotherapy.
“Blue light is a potential non-toxic, non-antibiotic
approach for treating skin and soft tissue infections, especially those caused
by antibiotic resistant pathogens,” says Hamblin.
In the study, animal models were infected with P.
aeruginosa. All of the animals in the group treated with blue light survived,
while in the control, 82 percent (9 out of 11) of the animals died.