Both commercial and experimental antibacterial urinary catheters were investigated for their efficacy in preventing planktonic growth and biofilm formation of Escherichia Coli bacteria in a synthetic urine solution. Experimental antibacterial catheters having thin (<500 µm) dispersions of Ag, Ag/Ag2O, or Zn/Ag2O in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) binder all exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, outperforming traditional commercial antibacterial catheters. All experimental catheters prevented planktonic growth of bacteria and did not exhibit biofilm formation during a six-day test period using a colony forming unit (CFU) measurement method. On the other hand, the best performing commercial catheters demonstrated efficacy for only 3 days in planktonic growth tests and formed multiple bacterial colonies in CFU measurements. The Zn/Ag2O/PDMS experimental catheter was the only catheter observed to produce hydrogen peroxide, a reactive oxygen species known to inhibit biofilm formation; lack of detectable hydrogen peroxide production by the Ag2O/PDMS and Ag/Ag2O/PDMS experimental catheters suggests that bactericidal action most likely arises from release of silver ions present in the PDMS coatings.
Catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is a widespread complication within hospitals and nursing homes. A potential treatment is to use a biofilm-inhibiting catheter. In this paper, methods for creating a biofilm retardant catheter coating using silver, silver oxide, and/or zinc particles combined with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are described. The coating was first applied to the outside surface of the catheter and then tested for its antimicrobial properties with respect to preventing planktonic and biofilm growth of Escherichia coli. A comparison of our “in house” created catheters was then made with commercially available antimicrobial urinary catheters.
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