Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Antimicrobial nano-fiber structures development to rejuvenate injured dura mater in brain surgery

Joint Event on 17^th International Conference on Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology & 23^rd Edition of International Conference on Immunology and Infectious Diseases

April 29-30, 2019 London, UK

Hanin Bashir

Nottingham Trent University, UK

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Clin Microbiol

Abstract:

Nosocomial pathogens such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been linked to surgical site infections. Inefficiency of surgical technique of the brain or spinal cord could greatly damage the duramater layer of the meninges. Hence, with it being non-regenerative in nature and with continued unsuccessful attempts to produce a well-maintained substitute, biomaterials incorporated with antimicrobials are the novel focus now. Silver salts have shown no harm when inserted in vitro and are emerging in many medical antimicrobial applications. Despite few scaffolds being proposed, a biomaterial with smooth integration and optimal properties has not yet been confirmed. The purpose of this project was to attempt to close this gap by synthesizing polyacrylonitrile nanofibers, using the electrospinning technique and dipcoating them in polyethylene glycole solutions with dissolved silver acetate, behenate or citrate in hopes of inducing antimicrobial properties and creating optimal structures for such applications. Nanofibers were synthesized and tested using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Also, antimicrobial efficacy assays, well diffusion assays and time kill assays were done to test the minimal concentration of each of the silver salts required to inhibit the five nosocomial pathogens S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. coli K10, E. coli 10418 and P. aeruginosa. The optimum minimum inhibitory concentration for the three silvers was found to be 0.8%. Both silver acetate and citrate at 0.8% showed potent antimicrobial activity; however, silver acetate coated nanofibers were the most potent amongst the three salts. Of the pathogens tested, gram-positive bacteria were proved, using CFU/ml viable count, to be most resistant to both silver salts despite efficient antimicrobial activity against them at 0.8%. Based on these initial, yet interesting findings, future directions would be finding most appropriate scaffold sizes and diameters through varying flow rates and asking surgeons about biocompatibility, size of an optimum scaffold and easiness or best way of surgical insertion. Lastly, non-medical aseptic applications could be considered as testing on other microorganisms could be carried and further experimentation with scaffolds.

Biography :

E-mail: haninmb@outlook.com