(PhysOrg.com) -- Although bacterial infection as a clinical problem was reportedly defeated with the widespread use of antibiotics in the 1950s, its re-emergence over the last few decades has persuaded researchers to develop new methods for killing and preventing the growth of pathogenic bacteria. In a new study, a team of chemists from the University of Bath, UK, have taken steps to engineer a “smart” wound dressing system that releases an encapsulated antimicrobial agent only in the presence of pathogenic bacteria, allowing the body’s normal microflora to continue providing a natural defense against infection.
