Design of an electrically activated silver-based antibacterial surface system

This paper introduces the design concept of an electrically activated silver based antibacterial surface system with primary applications in health care environments to prevent the indirect contact transmission of infections. The critical system design parameters are investigated for their effects on the system performance. The preliminary testing results with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherchia coli show significant reduction in bacteria count after 45 minutes of testing. Due to the growing incidences of nosocomial infections and emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), study and applications of such alternative antibacterial systems are becoming critical for health care systems.