Bacterial growth dynamics on a surface having a particulate antimicrobial agent

Abstract

The morphological dynamics of microbial cell proliferation on an antimicrobial surface at an early growth stage was studied with Escherichia coli on the surface of a gel supplied with nanostructured AgNbO3 antimicrobial particles. We demonstrated an inhibitory surface concentration, analogous to minimum inhibitory concentration, beyond which the growth of colonies and formation of biofilm are inhibited. In contrast, at lower concentrations, colonies circumvent the antimicrobial activity of the particles and grow with a short lag time of a few hours. The applicability of these findings, in terms of estimating inhibitory surface concentration, was tested in the case of antimicrobial polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement.