‘MORE ABOUT GLOWING WOUNDS, HEAVENLY BACTERIA AND
ROBERT BOYLE’S HOUSEHOLD HYGIENE’
Jerry Dzikowski

In my past articles in the ETRS Bulletin, namely ETRS Bulletin 9.3 and especially in the ETRS Bulletin 11.2, I mentioned my continuing enquiries into the fascinating subject of what I simply call ‘Angel Glow’, or the myth of glowing wounds. Subsequently, in my continuing research on the subject, especially that performed with the Photorhabdus luminescens bacteria at Creighton University’s Microbiology Department at Omaha, Nebraska (USA), I would like to present (as promised) my follow-up research results on the subject.

Photorhabdus luminescens, a bioluminescent insect pathogenic bacterium, lives in symbiosis with a nematode worm. It is thought to be responsible for the myth of selfhealing glowing wounds, observed during the American Civil War and the Crimean War (also called Angel Glow – because soldiers thought it was the work of angels when the wounds they had sustained glowed in the dark, got better and began to heal). We can speculate that soldiers injured in the field were in contact with this bioluminescent bacterium, as it is present to this day on the battlefields of the American Civil War. Photorhabdus luminescens secretes toxins, enzymes and antibiotics. Experiments show that these secretions inhibit the growth of bacteria that infect injuries.

The experimental methods that we used to isolate the secretions from Photorhabdus luminescens and/or their effects, are outlined as follows: The antimicrobial activity is observed by an overlay assay. The bacterium is grown on LB agar plates, at 29º Celsius and a pH of 7, for 48–60 hours. Agar containing bacteria that are present on human skin, Micrococcus lutues, is then poured over the growing colonies of P. luminescens. Conversely using a centrifuge machine, we separate the cell bodies of P. luminescens from its secretions. Filtration through a syringe, gives us a liquid that is then poured on a disc. This disc is placed on top of a blood agar plate containing another bacterium that is present on human skin, Staphylococcus aureus. Both Micrococcus lutues and Staphylococcus aureus, are known to infect exposed wounds and injuries on the human skin surface.

The results obtained showed promise in our hypothesis that the secretions from P. luminescens inhibit the growth of bacteria that infect injuries. This is because no growth of Micrococcus above the Photorhabdus colonies was observed. Furthermore a definite clearance zone was observed around the disc placed on Staphylococcus aureus. The above results give intellectual fuel in relation to a possible explanation of the causes of glowing wounds and the Myth of Angel Glow. Assuming that the injured soldiers had hypothermia in the battlefields, as Photorhabdus luminescens does not grow at normal body temperature; it is likely that P. luminescens survived on the soldiers’ skin and killed off the infection-causing bacteria, with it’s secretions of toxins, enzymes(which make it glow) and antibiotics. Photorhabdus luminescens is normally non-pathogenic to humans.

However, it is impossible to verify that it was present on the wounds (no samples from the glowing wounds in the Civil War or Crimean War are available today). Experts in the field think it is still just a myth to baffle American Civil War historians to this day. On the brighter side, a definite possible explanation may have been found downunder in Australia, for the answer to Robert Boyle’s glowing patches on the meat found in his pantry many centuries ago. You may recall my mentioning of Robert Boyle’s original paper from 1672 on the topic, ‘Some Observations about Shining Flesh, Both of Veal and of Pullet’, in the ETRS Bulletin 11.2 article. I speculated that Photorhabdus luminescens may have also been the possible culprit for the cause of the glowing patches on the meat stored in his pantry. The possible culprit may be, Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria, as outlined in a recent BBC news article on glowing meat found in Australia. The website – (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4442984.stm) – reports:

GLOWING MEAT ALARMS AUSTRALIANS ‘If your pork chops do glow, it is best to throw them away.’ Australians have been told there is no need to panic after a recent ‘glow-in-the-dark pork chop’ scare. A caller to a Sydney radio talk show sparked fears of radioactive contamination in the meat supply. The New South Wales Food Authority said the glow was caused by the harmless Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria. Food authority head George Davey said he understood people would be ‘shocked’ to see their meat glowing in the fridge but said the bacteria were safe. ‘It is important to remember that the micro organism responsible for the glow is not known to cause food poisoning,’ he said. The bacteria are naturally present in meat and fish but they multiply quickly if food is not stored at the correct temperature. So the glowing can be a sign that the food is starting to go off and Mr Davey recommends consumers throw any luminous pork chops – or other cuts of meat – straight into the dustbin. ‘Remember this simple advice – if it glows, throw it.’

So there you have it, from the above press article we can assume that Robert Boyle’s household staff had just not stored the meat properly in the basement causing it to go off or that it was already going bad when it was bought at the country butchers and that the possible culprit was the Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria. Now that answer was worth the many centuries wait, wasn’t it? Once again we have proved, if nothing else, that patience and the luxury of time are the research scientists’ best friends.

On a serious note, I would like to add to this followup article of mine, thoughts of possible future ‘follow-ups’, and possible uses of this and related research topics. One possible use of Photorhabdus luminescens bacteria would be in the genetic engineering of crops, whereby its genes for antimicrobial secretions could be spliced into those of corn or wheat plants thus creating pest-free crops able to protect themselves. However, an Orwellian nightmare of glowing fields of crops may be a very likely side-effect here. This would I am afraid make, today’s reports on crop field circles seem like child’s play and the telephone switchboard at the Sydney radio talk show, very busy once again! Another possible use of the antimicrobial properties of Photorhabdus luminescens bacteria and its secretions could be in the production of natural gels and creams for wound bandaging as well as in the production of the bandages themselves. This could be similar to the existing research into antibacterial dressings and bandages by Gregory Schultz, an American cancer researcher turned inventor from Quick-Med Technologies of Gainesville, Florida. The website article at (www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1172215,00.html) by Siobhan Morrissey reports on his fascinating findings:

MICROBE-BUSTING BANDAGES ‘What do jock itch, poison gas and flesh-eating bacteria have in common? Gregory Schultz, 56, thinks he has the answer. The cancer researcher turned inventor has patented a technique for chemically bonding bacteria-fighting polymers to such fabrics as gauze bandages, cotton T-shirts and men’s underpants. It’s a technology with an unusually wide variety of uses, from underwear that doesn’t stink to hospital dressings that thwart infections. Schultz’s bandages, coated with positively charged antimicrobial molecules, dramatically reduce the risk of infection, he says, and as a bonus can prevent outbreaks of the drug-resistant staph infections that have been racing through U.S. hospitals. ‘It basically punches holes in the bacteria,’ he says, ‘and they pop like balloons.’

Well, there you have it, all the possible follow-ups in the world eventually have to come to an end as does this article in the ETRS Bulletin.

I hope I have at least answered some of the questions about Angel Glow, Photorhabdus luminescens and Glowing Wounds that have arisen as a consequence of my previous articles and enquiries. I would also like to thank all those who have also helped me in my research and in answering some of my own questions about the related topics, namely: Dr George Cherry at the Oxford Wound Institute, and ETRS Bulletin editor; Oxford Professor Dr Terence J. Ryan; Dr Christophe Beloin from the Pasteur Institute; Dr David Clarke, Associate Professor of Microbiology at the University of Bath; Dr Philip Lister, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Creighton University; and last, but not least, fellow Creighton student Sarath Dhananjayan – thank you all for your help with this project.