Increased antibiotic resistance in human pathogens leads to the development of new preventive measures. The introduction of antimicrobial materials and surfaces provides an alternative tool for controlling harmful microorganisms. This article is focused on a study regarding the potential role of two new antimicrobial surface coatings in the control of infection spread. The method applied was to compare the antimicrobial activity of BactiBlock?-treated coatings respect to untreated coatings, which were used as control, following international standards. The antibacterial activity of two antimicrobial polymer-based coatings containing silver-based antimicrobial layered silicate additive (BactiBlock? 635 A1 and BactiBlock? 655 A0) was tested according to JIS Z 2801 against S. aureus, MRSA, VRE, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and E. coli. BactiBlock? 635 A1 also contains 0.25% of zinc pyrithione (ZnP). The antifungal activity was tested according to ISO 846 against A. niger. The two coatings presented a strong antibacterial broad-spectrum activity (R ≥ 2, p<0.01). The coating with ZnP also showed a strong antifungal activity, since no fungi growth was detected on the treated surface after 4 weeks. Nevertheless, these findings support the potential of these polymer-based coatings as a tool that would help to prevent the colonization of inert surfaces by harmful microorganisms and protect patients and consumers who are exposed daily.
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