title: Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles: sensitivity of different Salmonella serovars.
abstract: Salmonella spp. is one of the main causes of foodborne illnesses in humans worldwide. Consequently, great interest exists in reducing its impact on human health by lowering its prevalence in the food chain. Antimicrobial formulations in the form of nanoparticles exert bactericidal action due to their enhanced reactivity resultant from their high surface/volume ratio. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are known to be highly toxic to Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms, including multidrug resistant bacteria. However, few data concerning their success against different Salmonella serovars are available. Aims of the present study were to test the antimicrobial effectiveness of AgNPs, against Salmonella Enteritidis, Hadar, and Senftenberg, and to investigate the causes of their different survival abilities from a molecular point of view. Results showed an immediate, time-limited and serovar-dependent reduction of bacterial viability. In the case of S. Senftenberg, the reduction in numbers was observed for up to 4 h of incubation in the presence of 200 mg/l of AgNPs; on the contrary, S. Enteritidis and S. Hadar resulted to be inhibited for up to 48 h. Reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction experiments demonstrated the constitutive expression of the plasmidic silver resistance determinant (SilB) by S. Senftenberg, thus suggesting the importance of a cautious use of AgNPs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Losasso
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belluco
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cibin
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zavagnin
authors.affiliation: European Center for the Sustainable Impact of Nanotechnology, Veneto Nanotech S.C.p.A. Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mičetić
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gallocchio
authors.affiliation: European Center for the Sustainable Impact of Nanotechnology, Veneto Nanotech S.C.p.A. Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanella
authors.affiliation: European Center for the Sustainable Impact of Nanotechnology, Veneto Nanotech S.C.p.A. Rovigo, Italy.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bregoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biancotto
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ricci
keywords: Salmonella; antimicrobials; nanoparticles; silver; silver resistance