Topical Silver An Effective Defense Against MRSA Threat

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Article Date: 14 Jul 2005 - 14:00 PDT

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AcryMed Inc, a medical device company specializing in wound care and infection control technology, today released research findings that show silver to be effective in combating MRSA topically, a potentially deadly infection that is raising growing concern among the medical community. MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type of germ dubbed a "super bug' due to its resistance against penicillin and other common antibiotics.

According to a recent study conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA - an infection once confined to the hospital environment, is now quickly spreading among the general population. The CDC estimates that roughly 130,000 people are hospitalized with MRSA each year. Improperly treated, MRSA - which can be easily spread by casual contact via open cuts, rug burns and scrapes - can quickly become a difficult to treat and potentially deadly infection.

The current alarm over the spread of community MRSA is heightened by the fact that the microbe is resistant to penicillin, methicillin and most other antibiotics commonly used to treat infection. Some clinicians within the medical community have expressed deep concern that MRSA and other so-called "super bugs" can eventually become uncontrollable.

The new study from AcryMed confirms earlier findings that silver is a highly effective antimicrobial against MRSA and may be used topically to prevent the spread of infection.

"The results of our laboratory testing show that the infection fighting properties of silver is quite effective in killing the MRSA strain," said Bruce Gibbins, founder and CTO of AcryMed. "Used in medical dressings or in ointment form, silver can be an extremely useful first defense in stopping MRSA before it develops into a systemic infection. More over, due to the nature of antimicrobial silver, it is highly unlikely that MRSA or other developing strains of staph infections will ever build immunities to silver as they have to penicillin and some topical antibiotics."

According to Gibbins, the use of topical silver antimicrobial products in fighting infections also serves to reduce the over use of antibiotics. This, in turn, can delay the growing immunity that these bugs are quickly building against penicillin and other commonly used antibiotics.

An Ancient Treatment

Silver has long been recognized for its infection-fighting properties. In Ancient Greece and Rome, silver was used to fight infections and control spoilage. In 1893, the botanist von Nageli discovered that minute concentrations of silver contained microbiocidal properties.

Today, silver is commonly recognized by the medical community as a valuable antimicrobial for treating wounds and burns. Recent breakthroughs in ionic silver technology have produced new products that make next-generation silver antimicrobials more effective and easier to use than ever before. AcryMed, leaders in silver antimicrobial technology has developed several patented products that sustain the effective infection-fighting properties of silver from several hours to up to seven days. AcryMed is the only company to make a silver antimicrobial product that comes in a gel form. SilvaSorbÒ Gel is easy to apply on all types of cuts and scrapes - making it particularly effective as a first-line defense in fighting MRSA.

"With the recent spread of MRSA, people must take special precautions and doctors need to consider antibiotic-resistant strains when treating infections," said Gibbins. "By washing and applying a long-lasting silver antimicrobial product to scrapes and cuts, people can stop MRSA before they become serious infections."

SilvaSorb is distributed in the U.S. exclusively by Medline Industries. The company manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Medline can be contacted at www.medline.com or (800) 633-5463.

AcryMed
http://www.acrymed.com

Since 1993, AcryMed has been at the forefront of breakthroughs in the areas of wound care and infection prevention. The company's technologies and products are currently licensed by distribution partners and used today in hospitals, doctors' offices, and clinics around the world. For more information on AcryMed, visit their website at acrymed.com or call (503) 624-9830.