New research from Washington State University in Pullman suggests electrical stimulation may be a viable alternative to antibiotics to treat wounds infected with bacteria.
The researchers passed an electric current over a film of bacteria and found it killed nearly all infection-related multi-drug resistant bacteria over 24 hours. After using this technique, the remaining bacterial population was one ten-thousandth its original size.
The study also included using electrical stimulation on pig tissue. Doing so killed most of the bacteria without damaging surrounding tissue.
"Many people tried this simple method," said Haluk Beyenal, PhD, co-author of the paper and a WSU professor in microbiology and biofilms. "Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. We controlled the electrochemical reactions. That's the reason it works."
To learn more about the study and its findings, click here.
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