Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are contracted by patients at or after the time of admission. It is estimated that annually 100,000 patients die worldwide due to HAI related causes and the frequency of HAIs has not decreased in the past 20 years. While many sanitation protocols are designed to reduce direct transmission of HAIs, current research is investigating how indirect transmission of HAIs may be reduced through use of antimicrobial scrubs. We investigated the antimicrobial activity of silver, a metal well known to disrupt cell membrane functions and thus kill bacteria, as an agent to be incorporated into the fabric used to make nursing scrubs. This antimicrobial fabric was tested by depositing S. aureus or K. pneumoniae onto swatches of the cloth for 0, 4, 12, and 24 hours. The surviving bacteria were then enumerated by spread-plating onto nutrient-rich agar. The results of this study could yield valuable insight into a potential method for reducing the frequency of HAIs worldwide
