Aug. 17, 2010 -- Biotech scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a coating for use in health care settings that they say kills the deadly MRSA germ. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus, is a virulent bacterium that causes antibiotic-resistant infections, killing about 90,000 patients a year. Because it has been hard to battle, it is sometimes called a “superbug.” But Rensselaer scientists say their coating, for use on surgical equipment, hospital walls, and other surfaces in health care settings, seems to be very effective in eradicating MRSA. The study is published in ACS Nano, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

New Coating 100% Effective In tests, 100% of MRSA bacteria were killed within 20 minutes of contact with a surface painted with latex paint laced with the coating, the researchers say. The coating is made with lysostaphin, a naturally occurring enzyme, combined with carbon nanotubes. “We’re building on nature,” Jonathan S. Dordick, PhD, director of Rensselaer’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, says in a news release. “Here we have a system where the surface contains an enzyme that is safe to handle, doesn’t appear to lead to resistance, doesn’t leach into the environment, and doesn’t clog up with cell debris.” When the superbugs came in contact with a painted surface, “they’re killed,” he says.