title: Antimicrobial activity and biocompatibility of polyurethane and silicone catheters containing low concentrations of silver: a new perspective in prevention of polymer-associated foreign-body-infections.
abstract: In modern medicine, infection is one of the most serious complications of implanted plastic devices. The host is not able to overcome this special type of opportunistic infection despite having a normal immune response and a low virulence of most of the bacteria involved. Antimicrobial therapy alone generally cannot cure the infection and the removal of catheters often remains the only choice of therapy. Bacterial adhesion to the polymer surface of the catheter, be it luminal or external, is an important step in the pathogenesis of catheter-associated infections. In this report, we describe new approaches to the prevention of infections by impregnation of polyurethane and silicone with silver by two different methods. The antimicrobial activity of these silver-impregnated catheters is more than 10 fold higher for coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) compared to catheters without silver. Similar results are obtained with other microbial organisms like Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. The new polymers show no cytotoxic or thrombogenic side effects in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Klinik mit Poliklinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Böswald
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Girisch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Greil
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Spies
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stehr
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krall
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Guggenbichler
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000254:growth & development*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000254:growth & development; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D006095:Gram-Positive Cocci / Q000254:growth & development*; D011108:Polymers; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000254:growth & development; D012828:Silicones / Q000737:chemistry*; D012834:Silver; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000254:growth & development; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D011108:Polymers; D011140:Polyurethanes; D012828:Silicones; D012834:Silver