為什么銅能殺死超級(jí)細(xì)菌(和普通細(xì)菌)

為什么銅能殺死超級(jí)細(xì)菌(和普通細(xì)菌)

Copper's health benefits have been known for ages — literally.

銅的健康益處早已為人所知。

One of the oldest medical books in the world, the 5,000-year-old Smith Papyrus, details how copper was used in ancient Egypt to sterilize both water and directly treat injuries. Thousands of years later, Hippocrates' texts suggested powdered copper be used to prevent infection of burns and other wounds, and Roman doctors 2,000 years ago used various types of copper treatments for health issues from mouth ulcers to intestinal worms and venereal disease. The Aztecs, Indians and Persians were all known to use copper to treat health concerns, too.

世界上最古老的醫(yī)學(xué)書籍之一，5000年歷史的Smith Papyrus詳細(xì)描述了古埃及人如何使用銅來(lái)消毒和直接治療傷口。幾千年后，希波克拉底的文獻(xiàn)建議使用銅粉來(lái)防止燒傷和其他傷口的感染，2000年前，羅馬醫(yī)生使用各種銅治療健康問(wèn)題，從口腔潰瘍到腸蠕蟲和性病。眾所周知，阿茲特克人、印度人和波斯人也用銅來(lái)治療健康問(wèn)題。

It's incredibly difficult to properly clean hospital beds, especially as they have become more complex, like the one pictured here. (Photo: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock)

While germ theory wasn't officially recognized by modern medicine until French scientist Louis Pasteur's work in the early 1860s, we now know that copper's effectiveness is tied to its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Obviously, many ancient civilizations had figured this out, even if they didn't understand precisely how copper works.

雖然細(xì)菌理論直到19世紀(jì)60年代早期法國(guó)科學(xué)家路易斯·巴斯德的工作才被現(xiàn)代醫(yī)學(xué)正式承認(rèn)，我們現(xiàn)在知道銅的有效性與它的抗病毒和抗菌特性有關(guān)。很明顯，許多古代文明已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了這一點(diǎn)，即使他們不知道銅是如何工作的。

Which brings us to the present day. While we no longer sprinkle powdered copper oxides on cuts, there are other ways we could use the metal, or its alloys, to keep us healthier.

這就把我們帶到了今天。雖然我們不再在傷口上撒銅氧化物粉末，但還有其他方法可以利用這種金屬或其合金來(lái)保持我們的健康。

Currently, stainless steel or plastics are used for sinks, counters, beds and other surfaces in health care environments, but while stainless steel and plastic are easy to clean (the main reason they're used in such places), it also demonstrably harbors far more bacteria and viruses than a similar copper surface does — and over time, small scratches, dings and holes can hide even more.

目前，不銹鋼或塑料用于保健環(huán)境中的水槽、計(jì)數(shù)器、床和其他表面，但不銹鋼和塑料易于清潔(主要原因：在這樣的地方使用)，它也明顯地?cái)y帶了比類似銅表面更多的細(xì)菌和病毒--隨著時(shí)間的推移，微小的劃痕、布丁和洞可以隱藏得更多。

It's especially important that the most dangerous superbugs, responsible for the death and illness of already-sick people, are killed by copper. That includes methicilin-resistant staph (MRSA); other staph bacteria; adenoviruses; the flu virus (all types); and even fungus. In a study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology, 99.9 percent of E.coli bacteria was killed after an hour on a copper table, whereas it survived for weeks on stainless steel.

尤其重要的是，最危險(xiǎn)的超級(jí)細(xì)菌是由銅殺死的，它們會(huì)導(dǎo)致已經(jīng)患病的人的死亡和疾病。其中包括耐甲氧西林葡萄球菌(MRSA);其他葡萄球菌;腺病毒;流感病毒(所有類型);甚至真菌。在《國(guó)際食品微生物學(xué)雜志》上發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)研究中，99.9%的E大腸桿菌在銅桌子上放置一小時(shí)后被殺死，而在不銹鋼桌子上存活數(shù)周。

Considering that last fact, it seems that copper tables and prep areas in restaurants and food-prep areas would be another place copper could make a dent in keeping the nastiest bugs away from vulnerable people.

考慮到這最后一個(gè)事實(shí)，在餐館和食物準(zhǔn)備區(qū)，銅制的桌子和準(zhǔn)備區(qū)似乎是另一個(gè)地方，銅制的桌子和準(zhǔn)備區(qū)可以讓那些最討厭的細(xì)菌遠(yuǎn)離那些脆弱的人。

Copper kills the variety of bacteria and viruses that it does because it works on several levels to disable the organisms. It binds to proteins that disrupt the basic function of the cell, it breaks down membranes that cause cell drying and then death, and it causes oxidative stress to any cells it comes into contact with, also destroying them.

銅可以殺死各種各樣的細(xì)菌和病毒，因?yàn)樗梢栽趲讉€(gè)不同的層面上起作用，使微生物失去活性。它會(huì)與破壞細(xì)胞基本功能的蛋白質(zhì)結(jié)合，它會(huì)破壞導(dǎo)致細(xì)胞干燥和死亡的細(xì)胞膜，它會(huì)對(duì)任何接觸到的細(xì)胞造成氧化應(yīng)激，也會(huì)破壞它們。

We're used to seeing copper as a trendy metal in kitchens and bathrooms, or used in pots and pans in kitchens — and using it in these places sure can't hurt. In fact, it would make sense to use copper, especially, in places that see a lot of hands and don't get washed often, like drawer pulls in the kitchen, or bathroom taps.

我們已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了把銅作為一種時(shí)髦的金屬放在廚房和浴室里，或者放在廚房里的鍋碗瓢盆里——在這些地方使用銅肯定沒(méi)有壞處。事實(shí)上，使用銅是有意義的，尤其是在那些經(jīng)常看到很多人洗手的地方，比如廚房的抽屜拉手，或者浴室的水龍頭。

But the material could be used to save lives in far more fraught and dangerous settings, like hospitals, elder-care facilities, and places where the sickest and most vulnerable of us spend time. That's why there are already several hundred patents for health care surfaces and tools made from copper, though a materials transition will take time, especially where health care budgets are stretched thin or otherwise constrained.

但這些材料可以用在更令人擔(dān)憂和危險(xiǎn)的環(huán)境中拯救生命，比如醫(yī)院、老年人護(hù)理設(shè)施，以及我們中最虛弱和最易患病的人待的地方。這就是為什么已經(jīng)有幾百個(gè)由銅制成的醫(yī)療表面和工具的專利，盡管材料的轉(zhuǎn)變需要時(shí)間，尤其是在醫(yī)療預(yù)算捉襟見肘或受到其他限制的地方。