Science may have found "silver" bullet for common cold

[AGCoinHunter]

Interesting, more uses for our beloved silver...nanoparticle silver that is.

Link: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbei ... 16p6h.html

Scientists are hailing a breakthrough that could lead to one of medicine's holy grails - a cure for the common cold.

Researchers have found they can attach tiny studs of silver to harmless bacteria, giving them the ability to destroy viruses. They tested the silver-impregnated bacteria against norovirus, which causes winter vomiting outbreaks, and found they leave the virus unable to cause infections.

The researchers believe the same technique could help to combat other viruses, including influenza and those responsible for causing the common cold.

Professor Willy Verstraete, a microbiologist at the University of Ghent in Belgium, who unveiled the findings at a meeting of the Society for Applied Microbiology in London last week, said the bacteria could be incorporated into a nasal spray, water filters and hand washes to prevent the spread of viruses.

''We are using silver nanoparticles, which are extremely small but give a large amount of surface area as they can clump around the virus,'' he said. ''There are concerns about using such small particles of silver in the human body and what harm it might cause to human health, so we have attached the silver nanoparticles to the surface of a bacterium. It means the particles remain small, but they are not free to roam around the body.''

The bacterium used, Lactobacillus fermentum, is normally considered a ''friendly'' bacterium, and is often found in yoghurt. Grown in a solution of silver ions, the bacteria excrete tiny particles of silver, 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, which stud the outside of the cells.

Although the ''friendly'' bacteria eventually die, they remain intact and the dead cells carrying the silver particles can then be added to solutions to create nasal sprays or hand washes.

[Rodebaugh]

LOL.....silver bugs.

[Dumpster Diver]

This is fascinating stuff! Thanks for the post AGCH.