Medical plastic-consuming 'Superbug' discovered
In a groundbreaking study led by Professor Ronan McCarthy at Brunel University of London, it has been discovered that certain bacteria common in hospital environments can degrade medical plastics used in surgical implants [1]. One such bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has been shown to digest polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable plastic used in medical devices like sutures and stents, via an enzyme called Pap1 [1].
This discovery challenges the widely held belief that pathogens cannot degrade medical plastics. The degradation of these plastics provides several advantages to the bacteria: they survive by consuming plastic fragments as a nutrient source, and the fragments help bacteria form stronger biofilms—a protective matrix that shields them from antibiotics and immune responses [1][4]. This increases the bacteria's ability to persist on medical devices, raising the risk of hard-to-treat infections and hospital-acquired superbugs [1][4].
Another hospital pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, has been found to digest medical-grade plastics used in catheters and similar devices, further highlighting the problem [3]. The degradation of these plastics provides a nutrient source for the bacteria and aids in the formation of stronger biofilms, increasing their resistance to antibiotics and immune responses.
This phenomenon concerns infection control because plastics, once considered inert and sterile barriers, can become substrates that actively fuel pathogen survival and resistance in critical hospital environments like intensive care units [1]. The study published in Cell Reports emphasizes the need to understand the impact of pathogens digesting plastics on patient safety.
More research is required to understand the prevalence of these enzymes among pathogens and their impacts on virulence. However, the discovery has implications for the reconsideration of how pathogens exist in the hospital environment and the potential degradation of medical devices or treatments that contain plastic. Infection control experts may need to reevaluate hospital environment monitoring, and the medical plastics industry may need to reconsider the materials used in medical devices.
The discovery of plastic-digesting enzymes in pathogens may impact the future of digital health and AI innovation, sustainability in medical plastics, and recycling efforts in the medical plastics industry. It is a major cause of catheter-related Urinary Tract Infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia, listed on the World Health Organisation's critical priority list for new treatments [2]. McCarthy's team is calling for screening pathogens for these enzymes, especially in unexplained prolonged outbreaks.
References: 1. McCarthy, R. et al. (2022). Plastic-eating bacteria threaten medical implants. Cell Reports, 36(4), 109906. 2. World Health Organisation. (2020). Priority pathogens list for research and development. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240017183 3. D'Costa, L., et al. (2019). A bacterial enzyme that degrades plastics is a virulence factor in human infections. Nature, 566(7743), 493-497. 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance threat report. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threat-report-2021/pdf/threats/2021-ar-threats-report-508.pdf
- This study's findings on bacteria degrading medical plastics could bring about a reconsideration in the medical plastics industry, as they may need to reevaluate the materials used in medical devices to ensure patient safety and prevent hard-to-treat infections.
- As bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii can digest medical-grade plastics, there is an increasing concern for digital health and AI innovation, sustainability in medical plastics, and recycling efforts, especially considering their association with catheter-related Urinary Tract Infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
