title: Potential impacts of silver nanoparticles on bacteria in the aquatic environment.
abstract: It is inevitable that nano-silver will be released into the environment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand the effects of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on microbes in natural and engineered environments. The most remarkable gap in our knowledge on this lies on the low Ag-NPs dose side. This review summarized studies on the effects of Ag-NPs on bacteria from simple to complicated aquatic systems. A hormetic model with a narrow stimulatory zone has been proposed based on both experimental phenomenon and the potential mechanisms of the observed effects. Spectrum of the stimulating zone depends on Ag-NP properties, bacterial types and environmental conditions tested. This may become a concern in terms of Ag-NP disposal, and further research is required to build a sophisticated toxicity model for Ag-NPs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2W2, Canada.
authors.forename: Zhiya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2W2, Canada. Electronic address: yang.liu@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D004777:Environment; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D053758:Nanoparticles; D012834:Silver
chemical_list: D012834:Silver
keywords: Antimicrobial effects; Resistance; Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs); Stimulatory response; Tolerance