The language of light has many dialects. Bacteria—the planet’s oldest organisms—produce, sense, and respond to light in various ways that direct their existence. They convert information encoded by different light wavelengths into biochemical banter that drives their physiology, including reproduction, metabolism, and growth. In some cases, certain wavelengths of light delivered in just the right way act as a death sentence—a feature that makes bacterial death by illumination a promising approach to treating infections.
Burn wounds are particularly susceptible to infection. The standard of care for infected wounds involves antimicrobial treatment and debridement—the removal of dead and infected tissue. In some cases, extensive surgical debridement is needed. As microorganisms develop more resistance to antimicrobial drugs, these approaches are becoming less effective. Researchers search for innovative strategies to treat infected burns, including exposing wounds to blue light within the 400-470 nm wavelength range, which has known antimicrobial properties.1-5 Bacteria for which ...
