Antimicrobials: Healthcare's Silver Bullet Against HAIs?

Antimicrobial Metals

>>Silver

As noted previously, silver is one of the most popular antimicrobials in the market today for several reasons; it has broad-spectrum antimicrobial action, it is well tolerated by the human body, it is compatible with most materials used in the manufacture of medical devices, and resistance is arguably nonexistent. Gibbins and Warner (2005) note, “Because silver affects so many different functions of the microbial cell, it is nonselective, resulting in antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of medically relevant microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. Silver is also more efficient than traditional antibiotics because it is extremely active in small quantities. For certain bacteria, as little as one part per billion of silver may be effective in preventing cell growth.” Gibbins and Warner (2005) explain further, “Nanosilver particles (as small as 1,000th the diameter of a bacterium) constitute the reservoir for the antimicrobial effect. This reservoir effect results when metallic silver, which has no antimicrobial properties, undergoes a chemical change called oxidation, which results in the release of the ionic form. This chemical reaction occurs at the surface of the particle when it is exposed to moisture such as body fluids. Silver metal oxidizes very slowly, however, so it persists on the device to extend its usefulness.”