New research from the University of Nottingham and the University of Birmingham has discovered that blue light can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing ear infections in dogs.
This breakthrough could offer a new way to treat these common and challenging infections.
Ear infections affect up to 20% of dogs worldwide, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa being one of the most troublesome bacteria.
This bacterium is often resistant to antibiotics, leading to persistent infections that are hard to treat.
In severe cases, this can result in the surgical removal of the ear canal, causing hearing loss and a lower quality of life for affected dogs.
The need for more effective treatments has led researchers to explore new solutions.
In a study published in Frontiers in Microbiology, scientists tested different frequencies of blue light on antibiotic-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from dog ear infections.
They found that some frequencies of blue light killed at least 99% of these bacteria.
Interestingly, combining blue light treatment with antibiotics made the treatment even more effective.
While the bacteria showed different levels of sensitivity to blue light, there was no evidence that they could develop resistance to this treatment, unlike with antibiotics.
“Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem for both humans and animals, including pets,” says Dr. Robert Atterbury, an associate professor of microbiology.
“Pseudomonas ear infections in dogs are particularly difficult to treat long-term because of this resistance. The possibility of a new, non-invasive treatment based on blue light exposure could transform outcomes for pets and help avoid costly and difficult surgeries.”
The next step for researchers is to test blue light treatment on a larger variety of clinical Pseudomonas strains from dogs with ear infections. The ultimate goal is to develop a simple method for applying this treatment to dogs in veterinary clinics.
This promising research offers hope for a new, effective way to treat ear infections in dogs, potentially improving their health and quality of life without resorting to invasive surgeries. Blue light could soon become a vital tool in the fight against antibiotic-resistant infections, providing relief for pets and their owners.
