DYE: MICROBIAL DYE

Dye Name:
Fabric dyed with purple-pigmented, amphibian-saving microbes

Origin:
Violacein-producing bacteria

Who made our dye:
Anne A. Madden, Chief Scientist at The Microbe Institute

Brooke Jude, Associate Professor at Bard College

Natural history and ecology:
This cloth was dyed using natural microbes, which grow around the fabric and produce the purple pigment violacein. The fabric is then sterilized (removing the microbes), and retaining the natural dye. Beyond producing an environmentally friendly and bioactive dye– with antimicrobial properties, these microbes have been found to serve probiotic effects in amphibians. The bacteria can be found in waterways throughout the world, and often on the skin of amphibians. They form partnerships with the amphibians, offering them protection from the deadly Bd fungus–the causative agent of Chytrid Disease. Chytrid disease has been associated with the population and species extinction of more than 200 species of amphibians.

What makes this so special: This synthetic cloth was dyed using natural microbes which grow around the fabric and produce the purple pigment violacein. The fabric is then sterilized (removing the microbes) while retaining the natural dye. Beyond producing an environmentally friendly and bioactive dye, with antimicrobial properties, these microbes have been found to serve probiotic effects in amphibians. Found in waterways throughout the world, these microbes also offer protection from a deadly fungus decimating amphibians worldwide.

Can this purple dye save frogs from the lethal Bd fungus and be a future solution for dyeing fabrics?