Impact of a silver layer on the membrane of tap water filters on the microbiological quality of filtered water

Vonberg, Ralf‐Peter; Sohr, Dorit; Bruderek, Juliane; Gastmeier, Petra

doi:10.1186/1471-2334-8-133

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…It has been seen, for example, that the application of carbon filters may result in a greater presence of Legionella in water because the bacterium can colonize the filters while passing through [ 99 , 100 ]. On the contrary, membrane filters have shown to control the colonization of hospital water systems up to 2–8 weeks of continuous use [ 101 , 102 ], especially when they are covered with a silver layer [ 103 ]. More recently, the novel electrically heatable carbon nanotube (CNT) point-of-use (POU) filters have demonstrated to remove 99.9% of L. pneumophila in water [ 104 ].…”

Section: Disinfection Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Management of Legionella in Domestic Water Systems: Consolidated and Innovative Approaches for Disinfection Methods and Risk Assessment

et al. 2021

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Legionella is able to remain in water as free-living planktonic bacteria or to grow within biofilms that adhere to the pipes. It is also able to enter amoebas or to switch into a viable but not culturable (VBNC) state, which contributes to its resistance to harsh conditions and hinders its detection in water. Factors regulating Legionella growth, such as environmental conditions, type and concentration of available organic and inorganic nutrients, presence of protozoa, spatial location of microorganisms, metal plumbing components, and associated corrosion products are important for Legionella survival and growth. Finally, water treatment and distribution conditions may affect each of these factors. A deeper comprehension of Legionella interactions in water distribution systems with the environmental conditions is needed for better control of the colonization. To this purpose, the implementation of water management plans is the main prevention measure against Legionella. A water management program requires coordination among building managers, health care providers, and Public Health professionals. The review reports a comprehensive view of the state of the art and the promising perspectives of both monitoring and disinfection methods against Legionella in water, focusing on the main current challenges concerning the Public Health sector.

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Section: Disinfection Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Management of Legionella in Domestic Water Systems: Consolidated and Innovative Approaches for Disinfection Methods and Risk Assessment

et al. 2021

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“…These metals are easy to use as coatings on a variety of substrates and have a lethal effect on bacteria and fungi via the so-called contact killing (Grass et al, 2011 ). Silver is one of the best-studied bactericidal agents in water supplies (Russell and Hugo, 1994 ; Rohr et al, 1999 ; Vonberg et al, 2008 ; Vaishampayan et al, 2018 ). However, as occurred with antibiotics, bacteria have also developed resistance mechanisms against silver (Gupta et al, 1999 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biofilm Forming Antibiotic Resistant Gram-Positive Pathogens Isolated From Surfaces on the International Space Station

et al. 2019

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The International Space Station (ISS) is a closed habitat in a uniquely extreme and hostile environment. Due to these special conditions, the human microflora can undergo unusual changes and may represent health risks for the crew. To address this problem, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of AGXX®, a novel surface coating consisting of micro-galvanic elements of silver and ruthenium along with examining the activity of a conventional silver coating. The antimicrobial materials were exposed on the ISS for 6, 12, and 19 months each at a place frequently visited by the crew. Bacteria that survived on the antimicrobial coatings [AGXX® and silver (Ag)] or the uncoated stainless steel carrier (V2A, control material) were recovered, phylogenetically affiliated and characterized in terms of antibiotic resistance (phenotype and genotype), plasmid content, biofilm formation capacity and antibiotic resistance transferability. On all three materials, surviving bacteria were dominated by Gram-positive bacteria and among those by Staphylococcus, Bacillus and Enterococcus spp. The novel antimicrobial surface coating proved to be highly effective. The conventional Ag coating showed only little antimicrobial activity. Microbial diversity increased with increasing exposure time on all three materials. The number of recovered bacteria decreased significantly from V2A to V2A-Ag to AGXX®. After 6 months exposure on the ISS no bacteria were recovered from AGXX®, after 12 months nine and after 19 months three isolates were obtained. Most Gram-positive pathogenic isolates were multidrug resistant (resistant to more than three antibiotics). Sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin and ampicillin resistance were most prevalent. An Enterococcus faecalis strain recovered from V2A steel after 12 months exposure exhibited the highest number of resistances (n = 9). The most prevalent resistance genes were ermC (erythromycin resistance) and tetK (tetracycline resistance). Average transfer frequency of erythromycin, tetracycline and gentamicin resistance from selected ISS isolates was 10−5 transconjugants/recipient. Most importantly, no serious human pathogens such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) were found on any surface. Thus, the infection risk for the crew is low, especially when antimicrobial surfaces such as AGXX® are applied to surfaces prone to microbial contamination.

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“…For this purpose, silvertreated leather with durable antibacterial properties has been proposed by the authors for application in the public transport systems , and silver-treated polymeric foams also demonstrated strong efficacy against pathogen strains responsible for respiratory diseases associated with the contamination of air filtration units in domestic and public places (Paladini et al 2014a). Filters able to remove potential pathogens also have significant medical applications (Islam et al, 2013), so filters containing silver have been proposed for tap water purification, wastewater and groundwater treatment, and other bio-related applications (Vonberg et al, 2008;Dankovich and Gray, 2011;Nowack et al, 2011;Mpenyana-Monyatsi et al, 2012;Pathak and Gopal, 2012;Seo et al, 2012;Yuan et al, 2013). Other promising applications of AgNPs described in recent research works include those of the food industry (as packing material) and those of the marine industry (as antibiofouling material) (Gottesman et al, 2011;Song et al, 2011;Echegoyen and Nerín, 2013;Inbakandan et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2014).…”

Section: Overview Of the Most Promising Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Nonconventional Routes to Silver Nanoantimicrobials

Pollini

Sannino

Picca

et al. 2015

Nanotechnology in Diagnosis, Treatment and Prophylaxis of Infectious Diseases

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Impact of a silver layer on the membrane of tap water filters on the microbiological quality of filtered water

Cited by 10 publications

References 27 publications

Environmental Management of Legionella in Domestic Water Systems: Consolidated and Innovative Approaches for Disinfection Methods and Risk Assessment

Environmental Management of Legionella in Domestic Water Systems: Consolidated and Innovative Approaches for Disinfection Methods and Risk Assessment

Biofilm Forming Antibiotic Resistant Gram-Positive Pathogens Isolated From Surfaces on the International Space Station

Nonconventional Routes to Silver Nanoantimicrobials

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