title: Chitosan: antimicrobial action upon staphylococci after impregnation onto cotton fabric.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High levels of viable Staphylococcus aureus, which are often found on inflamed skin surfaces, are usually associated with atopic dermatitis. Textiles, owing to their high specific surface area and intrinsic hydrophilicity, retain moisture while also providing excellent environmental conditions for microbial growth and proliferation. Recently, a number of chemicals have been added to textiles, so as to confer antimicrobial activity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the antimicrobial action of chitosan upon selected skin staphylococci.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We isolated staphylococci from normal skin of 24 volunteers and studied their survival upon contact with chitosan-impregnated cotton fabric. Low and high molecular weight chitosans were used at two concentrations; all four did effectively reduce the growth of some staphylococci (namely Staph. aureus), by up to 5 log cycles, thus unfolding a potential towards control and even prevention of related skin disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest an effective, but selective antibacterial action of chitosans towards skin bacteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The possibility to use a natural biopolymer incorporated in a textile to alleviate and even treat some of the symptoms associated with this skin condition may raise an alternative to existing medical treatments. The selectivity observed prevents full elimination of bacteria from the skin surface, which is an advantage.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biologia e Química Fina (CBQF), Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: F K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Tavaria
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Paulo
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Malcata
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pintado
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000382:microbiology; D003368:Gossypium; D006801:Humans; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*; D013784:Textiles
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D048271:Chitosan