Research demonstrates photodisinfection efficacy against extensively drug-resistant bacteria

The study demonstrates that Ondine’s Steriwave photodisinfection technology is highly effective (>99.99% kills in 20 seconds) against both moderately drug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pathogens. Gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella pneumoniae cause many serious healthcare-associated infections.  The research underlines the potential for Steriwave to become a rapid, broad-spectrum, bactericidal alternative to antibiotics.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an urgent global public health threat resulting in 1.27 million annual deaths worldwide, and is predicted to become one of the largest threats to human health in the coming years. The emergence and worldwide spread of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) microbes is highly concerning, as infections caused by these pathogens are virtually untreatable because they are proving resistant to almost all approved antimicrobial agents.

Dr. Nicolas Loebel, Ondine’s CTO and President, commented: “Overuse of antibiotics over decades has caused adaptation in many microbes, and we now see multidrug resistance (MDR) evolving into extensive drug resistance (XDR) in bacteria, rendering even the most powerful combination of drugs ineffective. We believe photodisinfection can play a significant role in cost-effectively combatting these drug-resistant pathogens and reducing global reliance on antibiotics.”

The poster presentation, “Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy Against Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Gram-Negative Isolates With Novel Antibiotic Resistance Factors”, was presented at the 7^th International Consortium on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC). ICPIC is a leading international conference on the prevention of healthcare-associated infections and the control of antimicrobial resistance around the world.