Bactericidal and Oligodynamic Action of Silver and Copper in Hygiene, Medicine and Water Treatment

Bactericidal surfaces are increasingly demanded in hospital, medical, food-processing and beverage manufacturing settings, not least to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA, Clostridium difficile and, for water treatment, to repress Legionnaires’ disease. This book sets out the very ancient history of oligodynamics which predates the Christian era. The scientific background and bacteriological data are reviewed. Part 2 surveys the materials used to create such surfaces – paints, resins, powder coatings, glasses, electroplated surfaces and specially-created metals. Graphs and tables show the kinetics of bactericidal action and viricidal and fungicidal applications are also noted. 180 references are cited. The CD-ROM includes a fully-searchable abstract database, with a unique collection of some 500 patents relating to practical applications of the principle, from 1924 to the present.