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The Science Behind Kyowave

The increase in bacterial drug resistance has really driven interest in blue light technology. Blue light therapy is a clinically accepted treatment for acne infections in humans. Furthermore, clinical trials have also investigated the use of blue light for Helicobacter pylori stomach infections with promising results. 

Kyowave uses blue light therapy to destroy the bacteria known to cause mud fever in horses. Our mud fever boots for horses have been designed to produce blue light with the precise wavelength reported to be most effective against the bacteria that cause mud fever. The specific wavelength of light used in Kyowave has been shown to be safe on human and mammalian skin, whilst destroying bacteria. 

Now for the really scientific part:

A mechanism called photo-excitation of intracellular porphyrins is what causes blue light inactivation of many bacteria. This causes the production of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, which damage the bacterial cell’s internal structures (e.g. DNA), resulting in cell death. 

A fully charged Kyowave mud fever boot delivers approximately 57.35 W/m2 at a distance of 1cm. Studies using Kyowave on methicillin resistant Staphlococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been carried out at the University of Surrey. Both were exposed to the light for between 15 and 30 minutes on a paper disc placed 1cm away. The graphs below illustrate the effectiveness of Kyowave!

Total Bacterial Killing

When tested, total bacteria killing was observed against P. aeruginosa after 30 minutes of light exposure (A) and after 25 minutes against S. aureus (B), with a 5-log reduction in bacteria numbers compared to the non-treated controls.

Testing Kyowave Mud Fever Boots

Kyowave mud fever boots have been tested and found to be effective in destroying the bacteria known to cause mud fever. Kyowave was put to the test on this horse, which was suffering from mud fever. A vet swabbed the area on Day 0 and Day 8. Kyowave was applied to both front pasterns for 30 minutes each day. Swabs and scabs cultured on Day 0 showed beta-heamolytic streptoccus sppcoagulase-negative staphyloccus and pseudomonas spp. All of these bacteria were absent on the Day 8 swab, and the pastern dermatitis totally disappeared after two months. 

A steady improvement from Day 0, 8 and 17 shown in the pictures