Penicillin shield could help implants fight infection

Medical implants that naturally resist infection could someday be made using a new method for attaching antibiotics to Teflon. Teflon is commonly used to make medical implants, like heart patches and vascular grafts, as it is well tolerated by the body and its surface is not normally chemically reactive. However, like any other implant material, Teflon can sometimes harbour bacteria. Even if the implant is not contaminated during surgery, bacteria from an infection in another part of the body may sometimes attach to it. The bacteria can then form a slimy biofilm that protects them from normal antibiotics. Researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi, US, decided that treating implants with antibiotics before implantation could perhaps prevent bacteria from taking hold. They attached penicillin to the surface of Teflon in a clever three-part chemical process... Whole article: "http://www.newscientisttech.com":[ http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11013-penicillin-shield-could-help-implants-fight-infection.html]

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