Coating hospital surfaces with microscopic bumps — similar in texture to the skin of a shark — could limit the transmission of bacterial infections like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to research in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.
The study showed the micropattern, called Sharklet, harbored 94 percent less MRSA bacteria than a smooth surface, and even performed better than copper, which can be used as an antimicrobial surface material.
"Shark skin itself is not an antimicrobial surface, rather it seems highly adapted to resist attachment of living organisms such as algae and barnacles," Ethan Mann, PhD, a research scientist of Sharklet Technologies, the company that manufactures Sharklet, said. "Shark skin has a specific roughness and certain properties that deter marine organisms from attaching to the skin surface. We have learned much from nature in building this material texture for the future."
The Sharklet material can be manufactured directly onto surfaces of plastic products in hospitals, like environmental surfaces or medical devices. It alters the shape and texture of existing materials, according to Dr. Mann.