British scientists are developing a virus-laden cream that must be prodded up the noses of doctors, nurses, patients and their visitors in the hope of halting the spread of the hospital superbug, MRSA.
The cream, which could be available in two years, contains a cocktail of viruses that kill dangerous bacteria in the nasal passages, but are otherwise harmless. Human trials of the cream are expected next year following lab tests which proved the viruses were lethal to 15 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus commonly found in hospitals.
Scientists at the Coventry-based biotech company Novolytics screened a variety of bacteria-killing viruses to identify those most effective at wiping out MRSA. "We know we can kill clinically relevant strains. It's a question now of putting it into the right cream, in terms of the formulation, to make sure that it works," said Nick Housby, a scientist at the company. He added that hospital staff and patients carrying the superbug might require treatment once every three months to prevent them passing on the infection.
Earlier this month, the Lancet medical journal said the government would almost certainly fail to meet its own target of halving the rate of MRSA infections in hospitals next year. A 6% drop in cases in England was too little too late, it added.
There are currently more than 15 new infections with MRSA each day, but to meet the target, that figure must drop to 10.5 new infections.
Dispersal of the MRSA from the nose, either through sneezing or by transferring the bugs to the hands, is the main way the bacteria spread. When they infect open wounds, they can cause severe and sometimes fatal infections.
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