• Infection
• bacterial load
• drug-resistant bacteria
• temperature
• textiles

• Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
• Bacteria
• Bacterial Load
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial
• Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
• Humans
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests
• Primary Health Care

• antibacterial activity
• cytotoxicity
• dark killing
• light-induced biocide
• oligo-thiophene-ethynylene
• reactive oxygen species

The subject of the paper focuses on the effect of weave architecture on microbial barrier properties of woven fabrics or more precisely on identifying crucial elements of weave architecture that dominantly influence bacteria penetration in dry condition. For that purpose, 12 samples of cotton fabrics were woven and examined. In their structure, all samples had the same yarns (36 tex) in warp and weft, same densities of warp (24 yarns/cm), two weft densities (24 and 20 yarns/cm) and six different basic weave structures. Microbial barrier permeability was determined according to a previously developed test method in cooperation with University Hospital Center Zagreb. Bacterial endospores of apathogenic species of the genus Bacillus: Geobacillusstearothermophilus and Bacillus atrophaeus were used. The effect of weave pattern on microbial barrier properties was significant. Weave patterns, decisively determined the number of influencing pores and its sizes in woven fabrics, as well as the yarn floating which jointly almost perfectly correlated with bacteria penetration through the woven fabric. Multiple linear regression of pore numbers and floating threads produced equations which correspond in 99% to the measuring results for densities 24/24 and 24/20, and more than 98% considering both densities of the set. Among compared weave patterns, satin weave had significantly lower permeability of microorganisms (six–seven times) than basket weave (the highest), for both densities.

• microbial barrier
• pores number
• pores size
• weave architecture
• yarns floating

Bacterial infections represent nowadays the major reason of biomaterials implant failure, however, most of the available implantable materials do not hold antimicrobial properties, thus requiring antibiotic therapy once the infection occurs. The fast raising of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is making this approach as not more effective, leading to the only solution of device removal and causing devastating consequences for patients. Accordingly, there is a large research about alternative strategies based on the employment of materials holding intrinsic antibacterial properties in order to prevent infections. Between these new strategies, new technologies involving the use of carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotubes, fullerene, graphene and diamond-like carbon shown very promising results. In particular, graphene- and graphene-derived materials (GMs) demonstrated a broad range antibacterial activity toward bacteria, fungi and viruses. These antibacterial activities are attributed mainly to the direct physicochemical interaction between GMs and bacteria that cause a deadly deterioration of cellular components, principally proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. In fact, GMs hold a high affinity to the membrane proteoglycans where they accumulate leading to membrane damages; similarly, after internalization they can interact with bacteria RNA/DNA hydrogen groups interrupting the replicative stage. Moreover, GMs can indirectly determine bacterial death by activating the inflammatory cascade due to active species generation after entering in the physiological environment. On the opposite, despite these bacteria-targeted activities, GMs have been successfully employed as pro-regenerative materials to favor tissue healing for different tissue engineering purposes. Taken into account these GMs biological properties, this review aims at explaining the antibacterial mechanisms underlying graphene as a promising material applicable in biomedical devices.

• antibacterial
• biomaterials
• graphene materials
• graphene oxide
• nanosheet
• reduced graphene oxide

Antimicrobial functionalization of textiles is important for various applications, such as protection of textile materials from decomposition, generation of more effective wound dressings, and the prevention of infections or malodors resulting from bacterial growth. In order to test the efficacy of new products, their antibacterial activity needs to be evaluated. At present, several different procedures are being used for this purpose, hindering comparisons among different studies. The present paper compares five of these assays using a sample panel of different textiles functionalized with copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) as antibacterial agents, and discusses the suitability of these methods for different analytical requirements. Bacterial viability was determined by measuring the optical density at 600 nm, a colorimetric assay based on MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) conversion, an agar diffusion assay, and colony formation, either after culturing in media containing textile samples, or after recovery from textiles soaked with bacterial suspension. All experiments were performed with a Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and a Gram-positive (Staphylococcus warneri) model organism. In general, the results yielded by the different methods were of good comparability. To identify the most suitable test system for the particular type of antibacterial coating, several factors need to be taken into account, such as choosing appropriate endpoints for analyzing passive or active antibacterial effects, selection of relevant microorganisms, correcting for potential interference by leaching of colored textile coatings, required hands on time, and the necessary sensitivity.

• Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
• Colorimetry
• Copper/chemistry
• Escherichia coli/growth & development
• Escherichia coli/pathogenicity
• Humans
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests/methods
• Microbial Viability/drug effects
• Silver/chemistry
• Staphylococcus aureus/growth & development
• Staphylococcus aureus/pathogenicity
• Textiles/microbiology
• Wound Closure Techniques

• OPE internalization
• light-activated biocide
• membrane perturbation
• oligo-p-phenylene-ethynylene
• singlet oxygen

• Alkynes
• Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
• Escherichia coli
• Ethers
• Microbial Viability
• Singlet Oxygen
• Staphylococcus aureus

• Cross Infection/epidemiology
• Cross Infection/prevention & control
• Disinfection/instrumentation
• Disinfection/methods
• Disinfection/standards
• Humans
• Infection Control/instrumentation
• Infection Control/methods
• Infection Control/standards

Hospital-acquired infections pose both a major risk to patient wellbeing and an economic burden on global healthcare systems, with the problem compounded by the emergence of multidrug resistant and biocide tolerant bacterial pathogens. Many inanimate surfaces can act as a reservoir for infection, and adequate disinfection is difficult to achieve and requires direct intervention. In this study we demonstrate the preparation and performance of materials with inherent photodynamic, surface-active, persistent antimicrobial properties through the incorporation of photosensitizers into high density poly(ethylene) (HDPE) using hot-melt extrusion, which require no external intervention except a source of visible light. Our aim is to prevent bacterial adherence to these surfaces and eliminate them as reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens, thus presenting a valuable advance in infection control. A two-layer system with one layer comprising photosensitizer-incorporated HDPE, and one layer comprising HDPE alone is also described to demonstrate the versatility of our approach. The photosensitizer-incorporated materials are capable of reducing the adherence of viable bacteria by up to 3.62 Log colony forming units (CFU) per square centimeter of material surface for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and by up to 1.51 Log CFU/cm² for Escherichia coli. Potential applications for the technology are in antimicrobial coatings for, or materials comprising objects, such as tubing, collection bags, handrails, finger-plates on hospital doors, or medical equipment found in the healthcare setting.

• Anti-Infective Agents/therapeutic use
• Disease Reservoirs
• Infection Control/methods
• Photochemotherapy
• Polymers/administration & dosage

• Biocidal fabric
• Desiccation
• Dry conditions
• Persistence
• Survival of bacteria

Evidence is accumulating for the role of cleaning in controlling hospital infections. Hospital pathogens such as meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), norovirus, multi-resistant Gram-negative bacilli and Clostridium difficile persist in the healthcare environment for considerable lengths of time. Cleaning with both detergent and disinfectant-based regimens help control these pathogens in both routine and outbreak situations. The most important transmission risk comes from organisms on frequently handled items because hand contact with a contaminated site could deliver a pathogen to a patient. Cleaning practices should be tailored to clinical risk, near-patient areas and hand-touch-sites and scientifically evaluated for all surfaces and equipment in today’s hospitals.

• cleaning
• detergent
• disinfectants
• infection control
• decontamination

Approximately 7 million people worldwide acquire a healthcare associated infection each year. Despite aggressive monitoring, hand washing campaigns and other infection control measures, nosocomial infections (NI) rates, especially those caused by antibiotic resistant pathogens, are unacceptably high worldwide. Additional ways to fight these infections need to be developed. A potential overlooked and neglected source of nosocomial pathogens are those found in non-intrusive soft and hard surfaces located in clinical settings. Soft surfaces, such as patient pyjamas and beddings, can be an excellent substrate for bacterial and fungal growth under appropriate temperature and humidity conditions as those present between patients and the bed. Bed making in hospitals releases large quantities of microorganisms into the air, which contaminate the immediate and non-immediate surroundings. Microbes can survive on hard surfaces, such as metal trays, bed rails and door knobs, for very prolonged periods of time. Thus soft and hard surfaces that are in direct or indirect contact with the patients can serve as a source of nosocomial pathogens. Recently it has been demonstrated that copper surfaces and copper oxide containing textiles have potent intrinsic biocidal properties. This manuscript reviews the recent laboratory and clinical studies, which demonstrate that biocidal surfaces made of copper or containing copper can reduce the microbiological burden and the NI rates.

• Nosocomial infections
• Health acquired infections
• Copper
• Copper oxide
• Biocides
• Surfaces
• Microbiological burden

• Alkynes/chemistry
• Alkynes/pharmacology
• Alkynes/radiation effects
• Anti-Bacterial Agents/radiation effects
• Ethers/chemistry
• Ethers/pharmacology
• Ethers/radiation effects
• Gram-Negative Bacteria/drug effects
• Gram-Positive Bacteria/drug effects
• Light
• Methanol
• Solvents
• Water

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of a small size were successfully synthesized using the wet chemical reduction method into the lamellar space layer of montmorillonite/chitosan (MMT/Cts) as an organomodified mineral solid support in the absence of any heat treatment. AgNO3, MMT, Cts, and NaBH4 were used as the silver precursor, the solid support, the natural polymeric stabilizer, and the chemical reduction agent, respectively. MMT was suspended in aqueous AgNO3/Cts solution. The interlamellar space limits were changed (d-spacing = 1.24–1.54 nm); therefore, AgNPs formed on the interlayer and external surface of MMT/Cts with d-average = 6.28–9.84 nm diameter. Characterizations were done using different methods, ie, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Silver/montmorillonite/chitosan bionanocomposite (Ag/MMT/Cts BNC) systems were examined. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs in MMT/Cts was investigated against Gram-positive bacteria, ie, Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Gram-negative bacteria, ie, Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the disc diffusion method using Mueller Hinton agar at different sizes of AgNPs. All of the synthesized Ag/MMT/Cts BNCs were found to have high antibacterial activity. These results show that Ag/MMT/Cts BNCs can be useful in different biological research and biomedical applications, including surgical devices and drug delivery vehicles.

• Mueller Hinton agar
• antibacterial activity
• bionanocomposites
• chitosan
• montmorillonite
• silver nanoparticles

• Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry
• Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
• Crystallography, X-Ray
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
• Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests
• Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
• Nanowires/chemistry
• Particle Size
• Silver/chemistry
• Silver/pharmacology
• Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
• Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects
• Vanadates/chemistry
• Vanadates/pharmacology