Flexible plastic wrap repels antibiotic-resistant superbugs

The team from McMaster University, Canada, describe their material as ‘a flexible plastic wrap that combines a hierarchical wrinkled structure with chemical functionalisation to reduce bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and the transfer of bacteria through an intermediate surface.’

They add that it can be shrink-wrapped onto door handles, railings, IV stands and other surfaces that harbour bacteria such as MRSA and C. difficile. The treated material can be used also for food packaging, where it could stop the accidental transfer of bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and listeria from raw chicken, meat and other foods. The research is described in a paper published in ACS Nano.

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The research was led by engineers Leyla Soleymani and Tohid Didar, who collaborated with colleagues from McMaster’s Institute for Infectious Disease Research and the McMaster-based Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy.