Del Pozo J L, Rouse M S, Patel R
Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota and Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota - USA.
Int J Artif Organs. 2008 Sep;31(9):786-95. doi: 10.1177/039139880803100906.
Bacteria growing in biofilms cause a wide range of human infections. Biofilm bacteria are resistant to antimicrobics at levels 500 to 5,000 times higher than those needed to kill non-biofilm bacteria. In vitro experiments have shown that electric current can enhance the activity of some antimicrobial agents against certain bacteria in biofilms; this has been termed the ''bioelectric effect''. Direct electrical current has already been safely used in humans for fracture healing. Application of direct electric current with antimicrobial chemotherapy in humans could theoretically abrogate the need to remove the device in device-related infections, a procedure associated with substantial morbidity and cost. In this article, we review what has been described in the literature with regards to the bioelectric effect.
生长在生物膜中的细菌会引发多种人类感染。生物膜细菌对抗菌药物的耐药性比杀死非生物膜细菌所需的水平高500至5000倍。体外实验表明，电流可以增强某些抗菌剂对生物膜中特定细菌的活性；这被称为“生物电效应”。直流电已被安全地用于人类促进骨折愈合。在人类中，将直流电与抗菌化疗联合应用理论上可以消除与装置相关感染中移除装置的必要性，而移除装置这一过程会带来相当大的发病率和成本。在本文中，我们回顾了文献中关于生物电效应的描述。
