The Antimicrobial Efficacy of Silver on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Isolated From Burn Wounds
In this clinical study conducted by researchers from the Department of Pathology at West Virginia University, researchers found that when silver-ion emitting wound dressings containing two different kinds of silver compounds were exposed to a wide range of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, environments with lower pH (i.e., increased acidity) resulted in significantly greater antimicrobial activity compared to environments with higher pH (i.e., increased alkalinity).
According to the researchers, “…when pH was changed from 8.5 to 5.5 antimicrobial activity for both dressings in general increased significantly (P < 0.05)… the study showed that the performance of both dressings apparently increased when pH became more acidic. The findings in this study may help to further enhance our knowledge of the role pH plays in affecting both bacterial susceptibility and antimicrobial activity of silver containing wound dressings.”
