Introduction: In orthotics and prosthetics different natural and synthetic materials are used. The choice of material depends on the needs of the patient. The skin is colonized by different microorganisms, one of which is Staphylococcus aureus. Bacterial adhesion is influenced by environmental factors and also by hydrophobicity, surface roughness and surface charge. Purpose: To determine adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus on selected surface areas, to check the effectivness of silver nanoparticle content and find out how all of this is affected by roughness, zeta potential and contact angle. Methods: We used eight different materials: ethylene-vinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate with silver nanoparticles, closed-cell polyethylene foam, closed-cell polyethylene foam with silver nanoparticles, natural cork, thermo-cork, natural leather and synthetic leather. We measured the roughness, contact angle and zeta potential of surfaces. In research we used a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, isolated from human. Materials were sterilized using UV light and incubated with a chosen bacterial culture. We observed dried surfaces using a scanning electron microscope and determined the number of bacteria per unit surface area, using microscope images. Results: The highest roughness was measured on closed-cell polyethylene foam, while ethylene-vinyl acetate had the lowest one. The largest negative charge was measured on synthetic leather. Thermo-cork had the lowest negative charge. Clossed-cell polyethylene foam with silver nanoparticles is the most hydrophobic of used materials, while synthetic leather had the lowest contact angle. The largest number of bacteria per square milimeter was found on closed-cell polyethylene foam with silver nanoparticles and the lowest on ethylene-vinyl acetate. Discussion and conclusion: The adhesion of bacteria is most significantly influenced by surface roughness, followed by contact angle. Natural materials are less susceptible to bacterial adhesion compared to the synthetic ones. Surface areas with silver nanoparticle content were found not to be the most bacteriostatic and thus, for this reason, this subject matter requires additional research.
|
