Effects of silver on adherence of bacteria to urinary catheters: in vitro studies.

Strains of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, mostly from complicated urinary tract infections, showed reduced adherence to silver-treated silicone or latex catheters as compared with latex or silicone catheters. The relative degrees of cell adherence to catheters at 2 h or 18 h, as indicated by radiolabeled cell assays, were in general agreement with growth rate-reduction assays and scanning-electron-microscopy data. For strains of E. coli, the correlation between cell hydrophobicity and degree of adherence to catheters was not significant. Antibiotic resistance (tetracycline, sulfathiazine, neomycin, kanamycin) and silver resistance were not associated. The radiolabel adherence procedure provided a quantitative method for evaluating the relative antimicrobial efficacy of silver-treated catheters.