Contact with copper surfaces terminates Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to new research from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.
The new study appears in the journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The study's findings suggest that copper ions attack and kill MRSA after making physical contact.
Sarah Warnes, lead author of the new research, states, "Our latest research shows that in simulated fingertip contamination of surfaces with millions of MRSA or MSSA, the cells can remain alive for long periods on non-antimicrobial surfaces — such as stainless steel — but are killed even more rapidly than droplet contamination on copper and copper alloys. Exposure to copper damages the bacterial respiration and DNA, resulting in irreversible cell breakdown and death."
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