Une bactérie mange le plastique médical et menace la santé
Table of Contents
PARIS – 9 Mai 2024 –
Une étude récente dévoile un phénomène alarmant : une bactérie hospitalière, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, s’attaque au plastique des implants médicaux. Cette bactérie, opportuniste et déjà redoutable, utilise le plastique comme source d’énergie, augmentant sa résistance aux antibiotiques, d’après des chercheurs de l’université de londres. Ce qui inquiète est la rapidité d’adaptation de la bactérie et la menace grandissante sur l’hygiène.Cette découverte, illustrant les répercussions méconnues d’un enjeu de santé, appelle à une réévaluation urgente des matériaux utilisés en médecine, afin de protéger au mieux les patients.
It is a barely believable but terribly real discovery: a “superbacterical” frequent in hospitals is capable of feeding on the plastic used in sutures, dressings and other medical implants. Worse: by digesting these materials, it becomes more resistant to antibiotics. A new weapon in the arsenal of a microbe already responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.
An opportunistic killer with unsuspected abilities
The main actor of this disturbing affair is Pseudomonas aeruginosaa well -known name in the hospital environment. This opportunistic bacteria readily infects vulnerable patients: the elderly, immunocompromised, patient under respirator or with medical devices. It attacks the lungs, blood, or urinary tract, and often causes serious nosocomial infections.
What makes her formidable? Its natural resistance to a wide range of antibiotics, combined with exceptional adaptability. WHO The class among priority pathogens for the development of new treatments. And today, a new capacity gives it one step ahead in the invisible war against our health systems.
An enzyme that transforms implants into a pantry
Researchers from the Brunel University of London have identified an enzyme produced by P. aeruginosacalled PAP1, capable of decomposing a current biodegradable plastic: polycaprolactone (PCL). This material is used in:
In the laboratory, scientists have confirmed that the bacteria releases carbon by digesting this plastic, then uses this carbon as a source of energy to grow. In other words, medical devices designed to help heal can be transformed into growth substrates for a deadly pathogen.
Plastic as a microbial shield
The danger does not stop at the nutritive aspect. Degraded plastic fragments are used by the bacteria to form biofilms: real organized colonies, coated with a protective film, which make microbes almost inaccessible to antibiotics and immune defenses.
These biofilms are known to drastically complicate the treatment of infections. They transform a simple contamination into chronic infection difficult to eradicate. And thanks to plastic, P. aeruginosa becomes more able to form.
Credit: ISTOCK
Treatment with monoclonal antibodies in pseudomonas aeruginosa – isometric view. Credits: Nemes Laszlo/Istock
A capacity that may not be isolated
Another worrying discovery: by exploring other genetic databases, researchers have identified genes similar to PAP1 in other pathogenic bacteria. This means that the ability to digest medical plastics could be more widespread than you thought, or even during evolution in other species.
It is an alarm signal for hospitals around the world: medical plastics, designed for their neutrality and biocompatibility, could have become an involuntary asset for superbacteria.
An underestimated danger at the heart of modern care
Modern medicine rests massively on plastic materials: from infusion to the catheter, from intelligent dressing to the vascular stent, these materials are everywhere. Their lightness, flexibility and biodegradability make them attractive. But this study upsets this vision: what if these plastics, instead of being neutral, in silence the proliferation of deadly pathogens in hospitals?
Ronan McCarthy, the main study of the study, calls for an urgent questioning:
“We must reconsider the presence of pathogens in hospitals. Plastics could potentially serve as food for these bacteria, which upsets our understanding of hospital security. »»
A call for action for the future of health
This study only gives the beginning of an answer, but opens a major breach in our approach to hospital hygiene. It is urgent:
-
to assess other medical materials with regard to their microbial degradability
-
to map the presence of enzymes like pap1 in hospitals
-
and rethink the materials used in implantable devices, including their biological vulnerability
While resistance to antimicrobials could become one of the first causes of world mortality by 2050, any microbial advance of this type must be taken seriously.
The details of the study are published in the journal Cell
Reports.
#health #crisis
