When skin is burnt, the underlying tissue is particularly vulnerable to infection–causing germs. A research team led by a microbiologist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has developed a way to turn the tables on these would–be invaders.

The idea is to reduce the ability of virulent bacteria to bind to a burn wound by coating the wound with an anti–adhesive compound. The compound produced a tenfold decrease in bacteria levels in treated wounds in a preclinical study.

The proof–of–concept study appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.

“We’re taking a different approach to infection reduction,” said Anne–Marie Krachler, PhD, a study senior author and an associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. “Instead of killing the bacteria, we’re keeping them from sticking to a wound.”

Krachler’s compound mimics a protein on the surface of bacterial cells that allows them to latch onto a wound. By doing this, the compound coats a wound and stops bacteria from sticking to the tissue. If bacteria cannot bind to a wound, they harmlessly pass through a person’s system.

Scientists tested their compound on a drug–resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a preclinical model. In addition to reducing bacterial levels, the compound contained the spread of infection and did not appear to impact the natural healing of the wound.

“Taken together, our data demonstrate for the first time the efficacy of a virulence–targeting antimicrobial compound with broad–spectrum specificity in an in vivo model,” the authors wrote in the paper.

The researchers describe the compound as an adhesion inhibitor.

“This anti–infective strategy has the potential to treat multidrug–resistant infections and limit the emergence of drug–resistant pathogens,” the authors wrote.

The next steps in the research involve analyzing the inhibition of other bacterial species and assessing the compound’s efficacy in decreasing infections associated with surgery.

“My vision is that one day our research will be available to benefit patients and to treat burn infections for which conventional antibiotics are no longer a viable treatment strategy,” Krachler said.

“Dr. Krachler, a recipient of a UT System Rising Star Award, is having outstanding success in her research efforts aimed at new methods to combat infectious disease. Her creative strategy – blocking bacterial attachment to host tissues – may supersede or enhance the results of using traditional antibiotic approaches,” said Theresa Koehler, PhD, chair of microbiology and molecular genetics and the Herbert L. and Margaret W. DuPont Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Science at UTHealth.