[Fwd: Silver An Effective Defense Against MRSA Threat]

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To: jmccully@...

Subject: Silver An Effective Defense Against MRSA Threat

Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 16:50:42 -0500

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newssearch.php?newsid=27431

AcryMed Inc, a medical device company specializing in wound care and

infection control technology, today released research findings that

show silver to be effective in combating MRSA topically, a potentially

deadly infection that is raising growing concern among the medical

community. MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a type

of germ dubbed a “super bug' due to its resistance against penicillin

and other common antibiotics.

According to a recent study conducted by the federal Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA - an infection once confined to

the hospital environment, is now quickly spreading among the general

population. The CDC estimates that roughly 130,000 people are

hospitalized with MRSA each year. Improperly treated, MRSA - which can

be easily spread by casual contact via open cuts, rug burns and scrapes

- can quickly become a difficult to treat and potentially deadly

infection.

The current alarm over the spread of community MRSA is heightened by

the fact that the microbe is resistant to penicillin, methicillin and

most other antibiotics commonly used to treat infection. Some

clinicians within the medical community have expressed deep concern

that MRSA and other so-called “super bugs†can eventually become

uncontrollable.

The new study from AcryMed confirms earlier findings that silver is a

highly effective antimicrobial against MRSA and may be used topically

to prevent the spread of infection.

“The results of our laboratory testing show that the infection fighting

properties of silver is quite effective in killing the MRSA strain,â€

said Bruce Gibbins, founder and CTO of AcryMed. “Used in medical

dressings or in ointment form, silver can be an extremely useful first

defense in stopping MRSA before it develops into a systemic infection.

More over, due to the nature of antimicrobial silver, it is highly

unlikely that MRSA or other developing strains of staph infections will

ever build immunities to silver as they have to penicillin and some

topical antibiotics.â€

According to Gibbins, the use of topical silver antimicrobial products

in fighting infections also serves to reduce the over use of

antibiotics. This, in turn, can delay the growing immunity that these

bugs are quickly building against penicillin and other commonly used

antibiotics.

An Ancient Treatment

Silver has long been recognized for its infection-fighting properties.

In Ancient Greece and Rome, silver was used to fight infections and

control spoilage. In 1893, the botanist von Nageli discovered that

minute concentrations of silver contained microbiocidal properties.

Today, silver is commonly recognized by the medical community as a

valuable antimicrobial for treating wounds and burns. Recent

breakthroughs in ionic silver technology have produced new products

that make next-generation silver antimicrobials more effective and

easier to use than ever before. AcryMed, leaders in silver

antimicrobial technology has developed several patented products that

sustain the effective infection-fighting properties of silver from

several hours to up to seven days. AcryMed is the only company to make

a silver antimicrobial product that comes in a gel form. SilvaSorbÃ’ Gel

is easy to apply on all types of cuts and scrapes - making it

particularly effective as a first-line defense in fighting MRSA.

“With the recent spread of MRSA, people must take special precautions

and doctors need to consider antibiotic-resistant strains when treating

infections,†said Gibbins. “By washing and applying a long-lasting

silver antimicrobial product to scrapes and cuts, people can stop MRSA

before they become serious infections.â€

SilvaSorb is distributed in the U.S. exclusively by Medline Industries.

The company manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to

hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers

and agencies and other markets. Medline can be contacted at

www.medline.com or .

AcryMed

http://www.acrymed.com

Since 1993, AcryMed has been at the forefront of breakthroughs in the

areas of wound care and infection prevention. The company's

technologies and products are currently licensed by distribution

partners and used today in hospitals, doctors' offices, and clinics

around the world. For more information on AcryMed, visit their website

at acrymed.com or call .