Silversol (a colloidal nanosilver formulation) inhibits growth of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by disrupting its physiology in multiple ways

Antibacterial effect of a colloidal nanosilver formulation Silversol(R) was investigated against an antibiotic-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Lower concentrations of the test formulation exerted bacteriostatic and, its higher concentrations exerted bactericidal effect against this pathogen. Silversol(R) at sub-lethal concentration was found to disturb multiple physiological traits of S. aureus such as growth, antibiotic susceptibility, membrane permeability, efflux, protein synthesis and export, biofilm and exopolysaccharide production, etc. Transcriptome data revealed the genes coding for transcriptional regulators, efflux machinery, transferases, {beta}-lactam resistance, oxidoreductases, metal homeostasis, virulence factors, and arginine biosynthesis to get expressed differently under influence of the test formulation. Genes (argG and argH) involved in arginine biosynthesis emerged among the major targets of Silversol(R) in S. aureus.