Research
How Does Blue Light Kill Bacteria?
2008 Research By Dr. Enwemeka
Blue Light Photo-Destroys Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) In-Vitro
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a virulent form of staphylococcus easily spread and to control. When contracted it can be exceedingly difficult to control especially where healthcare is not readily available. Blue light at wavelengths above 400 nm and doses near 60 J/cm2 are shown to be effective at controlling infections.
Visible 405 nm SLD light photo-destroys methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vitro
Background Infections with MRSA remain a growing public health concern, prompting the need to explore alternative treatments instead of the on-going effort to develop stronger drug-based therapies. We studied the effect of 405 nm blue light on two strains of MRSA—US-300 strain of CA-MRSA and the IS853 strain of HA-MRSA—in vitro.Methods We cultured…
2009 Research By Dr. Enwemeka
Blue 470-nm Light Kills Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Vitro
In a previous study, we showed that 405-nm light photo-destroys methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The 390-420 nm spectral width of the 405-nm superluminous diode (SLD) source may raise safety concerns in clinical practice, because of the trace of ultraviolet (UV) light within the spectrum. Here we report the effect of a different…
Here are a few of his and other Medical studies that have been done using Blue Light Technology:
- Blue Light For Infectious Diseases – “It has been found that blue light can mediate a broad-spectrum antimicrobial effect…the wavelength range of 402–420 nm has been reported to be the most effective range of spectrum.”
- Visible 405nm Light Destroys Methicillin-Resistant MRSA – “At low doses, blue light photo-destroys HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA in vitro…”
- Inactivation of Bacterial Pathogens following Exposure to Light from a 405-Nanometer Light-Emitting Diode Array – “The results, which show the inactivation of a wide range of medically important bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, demonstrate that… narrow-spectrum 405-nm visible-light illumination from an LED source has the potential to provide a novel decontamination method with a wide range of potential applications.”
- IBactericidal Effects of 405nm Light Exposure Demonstrated by Inactivation of E. Coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria, and Mycobacterium… – “This study has demonstrated that 405 nm light has a significant bactericidal effect on a number of important and taxonomically diverse bacterial pathogens.”
- Antifungal Effect of 405nm Light on Botrytis cinerea [This is That Pesky Grey Mold on Your Strawberries, Grapes, Etc.] – “The mycelial growth of B. cinerea was inhibited to the greatest extent by light at 405 and 415 nm…”
Blue Light Kills MRSA 2009
Blue Light — Without UV — Kills Drug-Resistant Staph Superbug
By Daniel J. DeNoon
Feb. 4, 2009 — Blue light — not including dangerous UV frequencies — kills MRSA, the multidrug-resistant staph superbug.
The finding comes from Chukuka S. Enwemeka, PhD, and colleagues at New York Institute of Technology. Their study was funded by Dynatronics Corp., which makes the blue-light device used in the study.
In earlier studies, Enwemeka’s team found that MRSA died when exposed to blue light that included part of the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. Even though the total UV dose was less than that of a few minutes of sunlight, it would be safer not to expose humans to any more UV light than necessary.
So the researchers used a LED device that emits blue light not in the UV spectrum, and found it worked nearly as well.
“Irradiation with [blue] light energy may be a practical, inexpensive alternative to treatment with pharmacologic agents, particularly in cases involving cutaneous and subcutaneous MRSA infections,” Enwemeka and colleagues conclude.
The researchers tested two MRSA strains: one typical of the strains that bedevil hospitals, and one typical of the strains found in the community. Both strains were susceptible to the blue light.
Relatively low doses of blue light — about 100 seconds’ worth — killed off about 30% of MRSA in laboratory cultures. Longer doses were more effective, although with diminishing returns. It took about 10 times longer exposure to kill off 80% of the MRSA in culture dishes.
The study will appear in the April 2009 issue of Photomedicine and Laser Surgery.
What is Blue Light Therapy?
Blue light therapy is a branch of alternative medicine that uses natural, (non-laser) blue light to cure, treat, or prevent unwanted health conditions. Blue light therapy works in different ways to treat different things. In the case of MRSA treatment, it works by killing bad bacteria.
Blue Light Kills MRSA Superbug
Recently, important studies have been consistently showing that two of the most common strains of MRSA can be virtually eliminated through simple exposure to blue light. Though fewer than 5 percent of MRSA strains can be killed by penicillin and 40 to 50 percent of MRSA strains have become resistant to antibiotics, they appear to have no resistance to blue light, which is free of UV radiation. Since blue light kills harmful bacterial naturally, safely and without dangerous side effects, blue light therapy has already received FDA approval for the treatment of periodontal disease and acne.
A Blue Light MRSA Study Explained
In this study an average of 90.4% of both US-300 (community acquired) and IS-853 (hospital acquired) strains of MRSA were killed within minutes of exposure to simple blue light. This should be all over the national and world news. Why isn’t it? Maybe people don’t know what it means.
Here is what the study said:
“These significant levels of photo-destruction at low dosages indicate that irradiation with 470nm LED light energy may be a practical, inexpensive alternative to treatment with pharmacological agents, particularly in cases involving cutaneous and subcutaneous MRSA infections that are susceptible to non-invasive types of radiation.”
Further Research Supporting Blue Light Therapy for MRSA
Study #1 Visible 405 nm SLD light photo-destroys methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) in vitro
Conclusion: At low doses, blue light photo-destroys HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA in vitro; raising the prospect that phototherapy may be an effective clinical tool in the on-going effort to stem MRSA infections.
Study #2 Blue 470-nm light kills methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vitro.
Conclusion: At practical dose ranges, 470-nm blue light kills HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA in vitro, suggesting that a similar bactericidal effect may be attained in human cases of cutaneous and subcutaneous MRSA infections.
Study #3 Effects of combined 405-nm and 880-nm light on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro.
Conclusion: Appropriate doses of combined 405-nm and 880-nm phototherapy can kill Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro, suggesting that a similar effect may be produced in clinical cases of bacterial infection.
Study #4 In vitro bactericidal effects of 405-nm and 470-nm blue light.
Conclusion: The results indicate that, in vitro, 405- and 470-nm blue light produce dose dependent bactericidal effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus but not Propionibacterium acnes.
Acne Is a Bacteria and the FDA approved It’s use to kill bacteria in 2002.
The antibacterial properties of blue light have been known for quite some time – in fact the FDA approved blue light to kill acne bacteria in 2002. There are many “acne treatment lights” already available and in use today containing the same wavelengths used to kill MRSA