Bacterial adhesion to solid surfaces and its prevention by the application of silver

Abstract

Silver, under different forms, has been proved effective for the elimination of bacteria and other microorganisms from liquid mediums, solutions and solid materials used in industrial, sanitary, and biomedical fields, such as reactors, pipes, filters, medical devices, biomaterials, etc. The effectiveness of different forms of silver antimicrobial application depends on the nature of these forms, the methods of application, and the field of application.The main objective of the thesis is to present a theoretical and experimental studies involving bacterial growth in liquid suspensions and solid surfaces and its prevention (disinfection) by different application of different forms of antibacterial silver: electro-colloidal silver, silver nitrate, silver sulfadiazine, and antimicrobial ceramics impregnated with silver ions. Bacterial growth is detected by viable bacterial agar plate counting and by observation of turbidity in suspensions. The experimental results showed superiority of the antimicrobial effect electro-colloidal silver over other used forms of silver used to disinfect liquid suspension. It was also shown that the antibacterial properties of the hygienic ceramics impregnated with silver ions were strong and durable.