title: Sporicidal/bactericidal textiles via the chlorination of silk.
abstract: Bacterial spores, such as those of the Bacillus genus, are extremely resilient, being able to germinate into metabolically active cells after withstanding harsh environmental conditions or aggressive chemical treatments. The toughness of the bacterial spore in combination with the use of spores, such as those of Bacillus anthracis, as a biological warfare agent necessitates the development of new antimicrobial textiles. In this work, a route to the production of fabrics that kill bacterial spores and cells within minutes of exposure is described. Utilizing this facile process, unmodified silk cloth is reacted with a diluted bleach solution, rinsed with water, and dried. The chlorination of silk was explored under basic (pH 11) and slightly acidic (pH 5) conditions. Chloramine-silk textiles prepared in acidified bleach solutions were found to have superior breaking strength and higher oxidative Cl contents than those prepared under caustic conditions. Silk cloth chlorinated for ≥1 h at pH 5 was determined to induce >99.99996% reduction in the colony forming units of Escherichia coli, as well as Bacillus thuringiensis Al Hakam (B. anthracis simulant) spores and cells within 10 min of contact. The processing conditions presented for silk fabric in this study are highly expeditionary, allowing for the on-site production of protein-based antimicrobial materials from a variety of agriculturally produced feed-stocks.
authors.affiliation: Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Gruner
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mirau
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Slocik
authors.forename: Rajesh R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Naik
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D002700:Chloramines / Q000737:chemistry; D002712:Chlorides / Q000032:analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D054879:Halogenation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration / Q000187:drug effects; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013784:Textiles; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002700:Chloramines; D002712:Chlorides; D047011:Silk; C030816:chloramine