In the in vitro study, a simulated wound fluid (serum and peptone water) model was designed to measure antimicrobial activity over a seven-day wear time.
A sample of the silver-containing sodium carboxymethyl cellulose wound dressing was aseptically transferred to the simulated wound fluid containing 1×10^6 cfu/ml of a wound pathogen (A. baumannii, C. difficile, CA-MRSA, or ESBL-producing bacteria).
Following incubation, total viable counts (TVCs) were performed on each test model using a pour plate method.
TVCs were performed on each model at four, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, and at seven days.
All models were re-inoculated with a fresh challenge of the same bacteria at 72 hours.
The dressing killed ESBL-producing bacteria and A. baumannii, with an approximate 100,000-fold reduction of all pathogens within 24 hours.
The rate of kill for C. difficile was rapid, with an approximate 100,000-fold reduction of all bacteria after four hours.
The potency of silver-containing sodium carboxymethyl cellulose wound dressing against CA-MRSA was effective with a 100-fold reduction in bacterial population within 48 hours and no bacteria detected by day seven.
