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Antimicrobial silver: uses, toxicity and potential for resistance

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Abstract

This review gives a comprehensive overview of the widespread use and toxicity of silver compounds in many biological applications. Moreover, the bacterial silver resistance mechanisms and their spread in the environment are discussed. This study shows that it is important to understand in detail how silver and silver nanoparticles exert their toxicity and to understand how bacteria acquire silver resistance. Silver ions have shown to possess strong antimicrobial properties but cause no immediate and serious risk for human health, which led to an extensive use of silver-based products in many applications. However, the risk of silver nanoparticles is not yet clarified and their widespread use could increase silver release in the environment, which can have negative impacts on ecosystems. Moreover, it is shown that silver resistance determinants are widely spread among environmental and clinically relevant bacteria. These resistance determinants are often located on mobile genetic elements, facilitating their spread. Therefore, detailed knowledge of the silver toxicity and resistance mechanisms can improve its applications and lead to a better understanding of the impact on human health and ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the European Space Agency (ESA-PRODEX) and the Belgian Science Policy (Belspo) through the COMICS project (C90356). Kristel Mijnendonckx is a Ph.D student at the Laboratory of Food and Environmental Microbiology (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium), and at the Unit of Microbiology (SCK•CEN, Belgium). KM is financed through the COMICS project and an AWM Ph.D Grant from SCK•CEN.

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  1. Unit of Microbiology, Expert Group Molecular and Cellular Biology, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK⋅CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium

    Kristel Mijnendonckx, Natalie Leys & Rob Van Houdt

  2. Laboratory of Food and Environmental Microbiology, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Kristel Mijnendonckx & Jacques Mahillon

  3. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA

    Simon Silver

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  1. Kristel Mijnendonckx
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Correspondence to Rob Van Houdt.

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Mijnendonckx, K., Leys, N., Mahillon, J. et al. Antimicrobial silver: uses, toxicity and potential for resistance. Biometals 26, 609–621 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-013-9645-z

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