The efficacy of silver as a bactericidal agent: advantages, limitations and considerations for future use

Butkus, Michael A.; Edling, Lance; Labare, Michael P.

doi:10.2166/aqua.2003.0037

Cited by 80 publications

(50 citation statements)

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“…Kenawy and co-workers summarized the basic requirements these novel biocidal materials must exhibit as follows: facile synthesis, long term stability, water insolubility, non-toxicity and broad spectrum biocidal activity over short contact times. Several authors have reviewed the use of silver compounds as biocides, including their molecular mechanisms of disinfection and resistance [3][4][5][6][7]. Silver combines the advantages of low toxicity, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria with minimal development of bacterial resistance [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Formulation of epoxy–polyester powder coatings containing silver-modified nanoclays and evaluation of their antimicrobial properties

et al. 2012

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Current interest in antimicrobial coatings is driven by an urgent need for more effective strategies to control microbial infection. In this study, antimicrobial nanoclays were prepared by ion-exchange of sodium montmorillonite (MMT) with silver ions which have been previously reported to exhibit biocidal activity. The extent of ion exchange achieved was estimated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The silver-modified nanoclay (AgMMT) fully inhibited growth of Gram negative Escherichia coli DH5α (E. coli) over 24 hours;annealing AgMMT under typical conditions used to prepare polymer composites did not reduce its antimicrobial efficacy. However, powder coatings of AgMMT dispersed in epoxy/polyester resin exhibited no antimicrobial effect E. coli. This is believed to be caused by poor wetting of the polymer coating, which restricted the diffusion of silver ion from the coating.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The efficacy of silver is not sensitive to the ion used. All silver salts are bactericidal, though the biocidal action of products containing silver has been directly related to the amount and rate of silver released [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formulation of epoxy–polyester powder coatings containing silver-modified nanoclays and evaluation of their antimicrobial properties

et al. 2012

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“…It has been proposed that silver ions, in interaction with disulfide or sulfhydryl groups of enzymes, should cause structural changes that lead to disruption of metabolic processes and even death of cells. 4,5 The antibacterial action of Ag nanoparticles might be associated with the release of Ag + .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparation and Characterization of Core/Shell-type Ag/Chitosan Nanoparticles with Antibacterial Activity

Yue¹,

Wang²,

Kang³

et al. 2011

Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society

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Making use of chitosan (CS) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a reaction system, CS-EDTA nanoparticles were synthesized through a facile counterion complex coacervation method. Ag + could enter porous CS nanoparticles synthesized with this method, allowing Ag nanoparticles within chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized by reducing silver nitrate with chitosan. Because of the noncovalent interaction between CS and EDTA, the EDTA could be easily removed via dialysis against water, and pure core/shell-type Ag/CS nanoparticles could be obtained. The nanoparticles showed higher antibacterial activity toward E. coli than the active precursor Ag nanoparticles and CS.

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“…Variations between replicate experiments in the presence of silver were more pronounced than those for UV only because silver might have complexed with particulate or dissolved matter, which could have been added with the MS-2 to the phosphate-buffered solutions. Silver has been reported to complex with many of the amino acids and constituents commonly found in growth media (5,9,19,21,26) that could be comparable to debris in the MS-2 suspensions. Although the suspension evaluated in this work has been referred to as "demand free" relative to UV radiation (38), it is probably not demand free relative to silver.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given contact times on the order of hours, silver has been shown to be somewhat effective as a disinfectant against coliforms (9,11) and viruses (41). In water, at concentrations sufficient for bactericidal activity, silver does not impart taste, color, or odor and has no apparent detrimental effects on mammalian cells (41).…”

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confidence: 99%

Use of Aqueous Silver To Enhance Inactivation of Coliphage MS-2 by UV Disinfection

Butkus

Labare

Starke

et al. 2004

Appl Environ Microbiol

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A synergistic effect between silver and UV radiation has been observed that can appreciably enhance the effectiveness of UV radiation for inactivation of viruses. At a fluence of ca. 40 mJ/cm 2 , the synergistic effect between silver and UV was observed at silver concentrations as low as 10 g/liter (P < 0.0615). At the same fluence, an MS-2 inactivation of ca. 3.5 logs (99.97%) was achieved at a silver concentration of 0.1 mg/liter, a significant improvement (P < 0.0001) over the ca. 1.8-log (98.42%) inactivation of MS-2 at ca. 40 mJ/cm 2 in the absence of silver. Modified Chick-Watson kinetics were used to model the synergistic effect of silver and UV radiation. For an MS-2 inactivation of 4 logs (99.99%), the coefficient of dilution (n) was determined to be 0.31, which suggests that changes in fluence have a greater influence on inactivation than does a proportionate change in silver concentration.The bactericidal effects of silver have been known since the mid-1800s (11, 31). Given contact times on the order of hours, silver has been shown to be somewhat effective as a disinfectant against coliforms (9, 11) and viruses (41). In water, at concentrations sufficient for bactericidal activity, silver does not impart taste, color, or odor and has no apparent detrimental effects on mammalian cells (41). The only known negative health effect is argyria, an irreversible darkening of the skin and mucous membranes, which has been caused by prolonged silver therapy (34). Accordingly, there is no United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) primary drinking water standard for silver. Two of the principal drawbacks associated with the use of silver as a disinfectant are the need for long contact times (4, 11) and the existence of silver-resistant organisms (5,15,33). However, use of silver by some European nations (34) suggests that it is considered feasible and economically viable in some cases. Silver is commonly used to prevent microbial growth in point-of-use filters (4, 32, 39); as a codisinfectant for swimming pool water, which allows for lower chlorine levels in pools (3, 41); and as a codisinfectant in hospital hot water systems (22).Unlike silver, UV radiation is widely considered a viable process for disinfecting drinking water and wastewater in largescale treatment systems (40) because it is an effective means of inactivating protozoa such as Cryptosporidium parvum (8,12,28) and Giardia lamblia (14, 24) and it does not create significant disinfection by-products (40). As with any disinfection process, an important consideration associated with UV radiation is cost. Power requirements for UV systems are primarily a function of the desired fluence (the product of irradiance and exposure time). In addition to an increase in operating costs, an increase in fluence can also result in a significant increase in capital costs (13). Microbial inactivation goals, which are a function of a target organism, set the UV design fluence. Design fluences for water treatment can vary between 40 and 140 mJ/cm 2 (13). Flu...

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The efficacy of silver as a bactericidal agent: advantages, limitations and considerations for future use

Cited by 80 publications

References 0 publications

Formulation of epoxy–polyester powder coatings containing silver-modified nanoclays and evaluation of their antimicrobial properties

Formulation of epoxy–polyester powder coatings containing silver-modified nanoclays and evaluation of their antimicrobial properties

Preparation and Characterization of Core/Shell-type Ag/Chitosan Nanoparticles with Antibacterial Activity

Use of Aqueous Silver To Enhance Inactivation of Coliphage MS-2 by UV Disinfection

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