Premium
Antimicrobial mortar surfaces for the improvement of hygienic conditions
Author(s) -
De Muynck W.,
De Belie N.,
Verstraete W.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04395.x
Subject(s) - antimicrobial , mortar , triclosan , staphylococcus aureus , listeria monocytogenes , nisin , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , staphylococcus , antiseptic , salmonella enterica , escherichia coli , food science , bacteria , materials science , biology , composite material , medicine , biochemistry , organic chemistry , genetics , pathology , gene
Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of various antimicrobial mortar formulations in inhibiting the growth of a selection of pathogens of environmental and hygienic concern. Methods and Results: Mortar prisms containing triclosan‐incorporated fibres or different concentrations of silver copper zeolites were incubated with Escherichia coli , Listeria monocytogenes , Salmonella enterica or Staphylococcus aureus at 4 or 20°C for 24 h. From plate counting, a substantial bactericidal effect (>4 log units) could only be observed for the mortar specimens containing more than 3% zeolites on cement weight base, the effect being more pronounced at 20°C compared to 4°C. No inhibitory effect could be observed for mortar specimens containing antimicrobial fibres. Adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) measurements allowed for a rapid indication of the occurrence of antimicrobial activity. Conclusions: In order to obtain a bactericidal effect on mortar surfaces, concentrations of silver copper zeolites of more then 3% are required. Significance and Impact of the Study: To our knowledge, this is the first study in which the effectiveness of various antimicrobial mortar mixtures towards the inhibition of pathogens has been evaluated in a quantitative way. Antimicrobial concrete mixtures can be used for the improvement of the hygienic conditions in a variety of environments.