Find in Library

Surgical site infections (SSIs) represent the most common nosocomial infections, and surgical sutures are optimal surfaces for bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp., <i>Enterococcus</i> spp., and <i>Escherichia coli</i> are the most commonly isolated microorganisms. The aim of this research was to evaluate the antibiofilm activity of a medical device (MD) containing TIAB, which is a silver-nanotech patented product. The antibacterial effect was evaluated against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> ATCC 29213, <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> ATCC 29212, and <i>E. coli</i> ATCC 25922 by assessing the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the Alamar Blue^&#174; (AB) assay. The antibiofilm effect was determined by evaluation of the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) and colony-forming unit (CFU) count. Subsequently, the MD was applied on sutures exposed to the bacterial species. The antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects were evaluated by the agar diffusion test method, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MIC was determined for <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>E. faecalis</i> at 2 mg/mL, while the MBIC was 1.5 mg/mL for <i>S. aureus</i> and 1 mg/mL for <i>E. faecalis</i>. The formation of an inhibition zone around three different treated sutures confirmed the antimicrobial activity, while the SEM and CLSM analysis performed on the MD-treated sutures underlined the presence of a few adhesive cells, which were for the most part dead. The MD showed antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities versus <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>E. faecalis</i>, but a lower efficacy against <i>E. coli</i>. Surgical sutures coated with the MD have the potential to reduce SSIs as well as the risk of biofilm formation post-surgery.