Antimicrobial Effects of Nanosilver-Coated Gauze on Pathogenic Bacteria Causing Skin Infection

Cho, Sun Young; Cho, Jae We; Lee, Kyu Suk

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The wound healing process is delayed by bacterial infection. Thus, proper prevention and treatment of infection are very important parts of wound healing. Silver has been used for wound dressing material due to its antimicrobial activities. Recently, a new nanochemistry technique made silver particles <20 nm in diameter, and this nanocrystalline silver can be used for dressing material. However, the antimicrobial effects of Nanosilver-coated gauze for bacterial skin infections are not well known.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the antimicrobial activities of 3 Nanosilver-coated gauzes (1500A, 800A and 100A) against known pathogens: Methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa).
METHODS
The antimicrobial effects of Nanosilver-coated gauze on MSSA, MRSA and P. aeruginosa were tested using a disk diffusion method.
RESULTS
Nanosilver-coated gauzes of 1500A and 800A thicknesses showed antimicrobial activities against MSSA, implying susceptibility, while the 100A Nanosilver-coated gauze showed intermediate activity. For MRSA and P. aeruginosa, 1500A Nanosilver-coated gauze showed antimicrobial activities, but 800A and 100A Nanosilver-coated gauzes were not effective.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that a 1500A thick Nanosilver-coated gauze has antimicrobial activities against MSSA, MRSA and P. aeruginosa in culture. Therefore, nanocrystalline silver may be a promising alternative dressing material for successful control of cutaneous infections.