A long‐term study examining the antibacterial effectiveness of Agion silver zeolite technology on door handles within a college campus

Abstract

Laboratory studies have shown that small concentrations of silver are effective at inhibiting the growth micro-organisms through the disruption of important cell structures and processes. The additional ability to incorporate silver into surfaces has increased the usage of silver in the medical field and expanded its use into the consumer market. To understand the impact of increased silver-containing antimicrobial use, it is important to determine whether silver-based consumer goods are effective at reducing bacterial populations. Our study examined the antibacterial effectiveness of Agion silver zeolite technology applied to 25 silver- and control-coated door handles across a college campus. Door handles were sampled for 6 week periods in both the fall and spring semester, and bacteria were cultured and enumerated on tryptic soy agar (TSA), MacConkey agar (MAC) and mannitol salt agar (MSA). A significant difference was observed between the bacterial populations isolated from silver- and control-coated door handles after 3 years. However, bacteria were consistently isolated from silver-coated door handles suggesting that the silver zeolite was only effective against a portion of the bacterial populations, and further studies are necessary to determine the identities of the isolated bacteria and the prevalence of silver resistance.

A Long-Term Study on the Bactericidal Effect of ZrN-Cu Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by an Industrial Physical Vapor Deposition System

“…HAIs have been proven to cause high morbidity and mortality rates and impose an enormous economic burden on healthcare systems worldwide [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]. In addition to healthcare centers, community gathering centers such as public transportation, educational institutions, catering establishments, sports facilities, and hotels are highly susceptible to pathogenic microbes being spread [ 5 , 6 ].…”

An Assessment of the Bactericidal and Virucidal Properties of ZrN-Cu Nanostructured Coatings Deposited by an Industrial PVD System

“…It is well-established that infectious microbes, such as bacteria, viruses, and microscopic fungi, can spread quickly via contaminated surfaces. Contamination is a risk for any frequently-touched surface, such as any kind of medical equipment in hospitals, door handles, fabrics, and so forth [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The development of antimicrobial coatings as a solution to this problem has attracted global interest, particularly in recent decades.…”