Preparation and in-vitro Antibacterial Evaluation of Electroless Silver Coated Polymers

Long-term use of indwelling medical catheters has often been hindered by catheter-associated nosocomial infections. In this study the effectiveness of silver coating of polystyrene and polyethylene polymers was investigated. Polymer pieces of 2 cm2 each were coated with a thin layer of silver using electroless plating technique. Silver-coated polymers were challenged with cultures of four different microorganisms known for their involvement in nosocomial infections in both solid and broth media. The tested bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Silver release from the coated polymers was 2-5 μg/cm2 which was confirmed by chemical and biological methods. The silver coating thickness ranged between 20-450 nm. P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were the most adherent bacteria to polystyrene sheets while E. coli showed minimum adherence effect. The survival rate of different bacteria after 80 min in a time course experiment tended to dominate E. coli as the most sensitive bacteria to the effect of silver with zero survival rate while around 4% of P. aeruginosa were detected after same period. Silver coating of indwelling polymers by electroless technique seems promising in combating nosocomial infections due to long-term catheterization.