Colour-changing bandages may detect drug-resistance

According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health. Sensing and treating bacterial infections earlier could help improve patients' recovery, as well as curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes. Sensing bacterial infections and monitoring drug resistance is very important for the selection of treatment options. However, the common methods of sensing resistance are limited by time-consuming, the requirement for professional personnel, and expensive instruments.

Now, researchers have developed colour-changing bandages that can sense drug-resistant and drug-sensitive bacteria in wounds and treat them accordingly. The researchers have been able to construct a portable paper-based band-aid (PBA) which implements a selective antibacterial strategy after sensing of drug resistance. The colours of PBA indicate bacterial infection (yellow) and drug resistance (red), just like a bacterial resistance colourimetric card. The study has been published in the Journal ACS Central Science.

Xiaogang Qu and colleagues developed a material that changes colour from green to yellow when it contacts the acidic microenvironment of a bacterial infection. In response, the material, which is incorporated into a bandage, releases an antibiotic that kills drug-sensitive bacteria. If drug-resistant bacteria are present, the bandage turns red in colour through the action of an enzyme produced by the resistant microbes. When this happens, the researchers can shine a light on the bandage, causing the material to release reactive oxygen species that kill or weaken the bacteria, making them more susceptible to the antibiotic. The team showed that the bandage could speed the healing of wounds in mice that were infected with drug-sensitive or drug-resistant bacteria.

This work develops a new way for the rational use of antibiotics. Given the low cost and easy operation of this point-of-care device, it can be developed for practical applications.

For more details click on the link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.9b01104