A recent study in Applied and Environmental Microbiology tracked the bacteria-fighting efficacy of the copper beds. On average, copper beds harbored 94 percent fewer bacteria than conventional beds, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website
“In spite of routine disinfection or terminal cleaning and disinfection efforts to reduce the microbial burden, in situ hospital studies have shown plastic beds are significant reservoirs for microbes,” the study said.
Copper surfaces “kill bacteria through a multi-modal mechanism through its ability to disrupt bacterial respiration, generate superoxide, and destroy genomic and plasmid DNA in situ,” according to the study.
Unfortunately, the study said, copper hospital beds are not yet commercially available.
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