The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assigns toxicity categories based on a substance’s potency (ability to cause harm at low doses) by various routes of exposure (e.g., oral, inhalation, dermal). Precautionary labels are required to bear a Signal Word (”Danger” and/or “Poison”; “Warning”; or “Caution”) corresponding to one of four categories of toxicity. Additionally, the statement, “Keep out of reach of children” is required on the label. The Signal Word must appear with sufficient prominence relative to other front panel text and graphic material to assure that it will not be overlooked under customary conditions
of purchase and use.

Thefollowing tables list properties of antimicrobial agents that are often active ingredients of typical antimicrobial products on the market today. Many products have one or more agents as active ingredients and are often marketed under multiple brand names. Each agent has advantages as well as disadvantages in its usage. It is not uncommon to need more than one class of microbial agent to combat different types of pathogens. Hospitals, on the average, have several different agents in use at any given time.

TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND GERMS COULD EASILY LURK UNDER THE TOP HALF OF THIS SEMICOLON;

A single bacterium – a microbe - is only about three microns long. With a tough, armored, outer cell wall, it is shaped somewhat like a railway tank car. Viruses are even smaller and are the most basic of all microorganisms. They contain only nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) and a protein coat cover. Some more complex viruses are enclosed in a protective envelope derived from infected microbes own cell membrane. Viruses require the help of other microbes to reproduce. Bacteria, fungi, chlamydia are more complex and have a nuclear body (DNA or RNA) and cytoplasm that contain components that convert nutrients into energy to drive the microbe’s functions. These microorganisms can reproduce on their own.

The efficacy of an antimicrobial product is directly proportional to the antimicrobial properties of the active ingredient of the product. Many products contain one or more active ingredients or antimicrobial agents. Products containing various combinations (compounds or complexes) of antimicrobial agents are typically marketed under multiple brand names. Each agent has advantages as well as disadvantages in its usage. It is not uncommon to need more than one class of microbial agent to combat different types of pathogens. Hospitals, on the average, have several different classes in use at any given time.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — or “staph” is a major cause of infection. Decades ago a strain of staph emerged in hospitals that was resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it. Known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), it was one of the first bacterial resistant superbugs to develop resistance to all but the most powerful drugs. The potent antibiotic vancomycin (Vancocin) was a reliable last defense against severe infections caused by staphylococcus and enterococcus bacteria. But superbugs have figured out how to resist even vancomycin. A strain of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) first appeared in the late 1980s and has thrived ever since. Scientists now worry that VRE not only will continue to multiply but will share its genetic secrets for survival with other bacteria.

Silver Doubloons - Ions

Since the beginning of time, we have treasured silver in its many forms, but one form of silver may hold a treasure we have only begun to glimpse. Twenty first century technology has given us the treasure map and silver ions are the discovered doubloons. A new form of silver, ionic silver, is emerging as the new antimicrobial wonder in dealing with bacterial, as well as viral and fungal conditions, in both medicine and industry.

Ionic silver is proving to be a remarkably effective defense, not only against an enormous range of infectious diseases that are a very real part of our world today, but also against the increasing number of dangerous superbugs like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with its growing number of strains) and newly emerging pandemic threats, such as bird flu (H5N1 virus) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

A Respected Antimicrobial and More

Since early civilization, silver has been known to have exceptional antimicrobial properties. Long before the advent of modern antibiotics, which only attack bacteria and are becoming disturbingly impotent against resistant super germs, silver was a commonly-used antimicrobial agent. Today, ionic silver is increasingly being recognized for its broad spectrum antimicrobial qualities and the fact that it presents virtually none of the side-effects related to antibiotics.

Ionic silver is entirely non-toxic to the body. A powerful tissue-healing agent, ionic silver has been used topically for decades in burn centers and currently represents one of the fastest growing sectors - if not the fastest growing sector - in wound care today. While not toxic to humans or animals, ionic silver is deadly to bacteria, viruses and fungi. Research in the United States at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri has shown that resistant strains of pathogenic microbes cannot develop with ionic silver the way that they will with antibiotics.

The fact that silver is an effective agent against a very broad range of microorganisms is well established. Recent advances in the stabilization and delivery of ionic silver, together with the problems associated with antibiotics, are propelling ionic silver technology usage in a rapidly growing range of medical, industrial and dietary-supplement products. Illustrating how serious this trend is, in a report published in April 2006 by Chemical & Engineering News about a new method from Nexxion for applying ionic-silver coating to catheters, IV needles, and other medical devices, the chief technical officer of the company is quoted as saying, “To date, no pathogens have been able to survive contact with silver.”¹

A Growing Body Of Evidence

AcryMed, a nanotechnology company, recently announced FDA approval of its product SilvaGard, a silver-nanotechnology coating to protect medical devices from bacteria. The company stated, “Ionic silver has been long recognized and used as a highly effective antimicrobial.”²

Covalon is a manufacturer that has introduced an antimicrobial silver-ion releasing, collagen-based sheet dressing for wound care. In January 2006, the president of the company was quoted as having said, “In the wound dressings market, silver dressings growth outperforms all others in the category.”³

Curad and Johnson & Johnson bandages are now available to the consumer with ionic silver actually impregnated into the gauze so as to destroy bacteria.⁴ In the medical field, another company, AgION has stated that, “Today silver is a key ingredient in new high-tech, powder coated finishes that hospitals and doctors’ offices are using to protect walls, counters and other germ-gathering surfaces.”

Other manufacturers are introducing ionic silver technology based products. Microbecide™ brand Antimicrobial Spray is an example of an ionic silver based agent used in diverse applications from food contact surfaces, clinical work surfaces to medical disinfectant wipes and water treatment systems.

Samsung recently introduced a clothes-washing machine that they claim kills 99% of bacteria in cold water by using silver ions.⁵ Adidas, and Polartec have licensed silver coated nylon fabric known as X-Static¹³ to incorporate antimicrobial silver in athletic and outdoor clothing for their ability to kill odors and promote thermal properties.

ARC Outdoors uses silver infused fabric from NanHorizon Inc. to produce antimicrobial socks for the U.S. military. SmartSilver¹⁴ is a brand of odor-eliminating underwear, stocking caps and gloves that kills bacteria on contact using ionic silver. ARC sells to Wal-Mart, Bass ProShops and Cabelas.

Sharper Image has a line of slippers and pillows that have ionic silver compounds incorporated into the fabric to prevent odor-causing bacteria. Containers for food storage are now being impregnated with ionic silver releasing compounds to prevent bacterial growth that contributes to spoilage. Writing pens, bath mats, cutting boards, and door knobs are being coated with silver compounds to prevent bacteria from being spread.

Closed populations, such as prisons where stubbornly resistant staph infections are becoming increasingly problematic, are turning to ionic silver for a solution. Ionic silver compounds are presently being used in 15 different correctional facilities in 9 states in the United States, including Oklahoma, Kansas, Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas.¹¹

Water treatment facilities that service hospitals use silver ions as antimicrobial agents. And that is still just the tip of the iceberg. The list goes on and on, and is growing faster every week.

Overcomes Bacterial Resistance

Although researchers have known of ionic silver’s germ-fighting effects for decades, it wasn’t until 2000 that scientists began to unlock the mystery of ions and understand why ionic silver worked so well. Germs have three vulnerable targets:

(1) the germ’s outer membrane

(2) its internal components

(3) its delicate gene pool

When a microorganism becomes resistant to an antimicrobial agent, it has learned how to fortify the specific target that the agent attacks. Ionic silver attacks all three vulnerable areas simultaneously. This multimodal action is what makes ionic silver such an effective and broad spectrum antimicrobial, effective even against resistant strains of microbes.

A press release by Curad quoted Philip M. Tierno, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at New York University Medical Center and author of The Secret Life of Germs (Atria Books 2004), as stating, “Silver is a natural antibacterial that works by killing bacteria, fungi and yeast by interfering with the metabolism necessary for respiration of these microbes. It fights germs with much less fear of developing antibiotic resistance.”⁸

A representative of AgION stated in a recent press release, “Silver has multiple mechanisms of action. Use of silver as an antimicrobial [agent] is therefore unlikely to promote antibiotic resistance.”

Antimicrobial vs Antibacterial

Ionic silver is often referred to as having “antimicrobial” qualities, rather than just “antibacterial” qualities. This is a very important distinction because many diseases that affect human beings today - bird flu and SARS if they should become pandemic in the future - all involve “viral” pathogens, not bacterial. And the medical community truly has nothing that will reliably combat viral pathogens.

A 2003 study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention found ionic silver to be highly effective against the human SARS virus.⁶ In the United States, a recent study at the University of Arizona showed ionic silver to be effective against the coronavirus that researchers use as the surrogate for SARS.⁶

A 2006 evaluation by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Kasetsart University Kamphaengsaen Campus, Thailand found an ionic silver complex completely deactivated the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus within three (3) minutes.¹²

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency quotes on its website “[The EPA] believes based on available scientific information that the currently registered avian influenza A products, when applied in strict accordance with label directions, will be effective against the H5N1 strain.” Ionic silver complexes have proven to be very effective against the Avian Influenza A (ATCC VR-544, Hong Kong Strain) virus.

A study out of the United States University of Texas reportedly suggested ionic silver may be effective against HIV-1, and researchers expect it may be shown effective against other viruses and bacteria as well. “We’re testing against other viruses and the super bug (Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus),” said Miguel Jose Yacaman, from University of Texas, Department of Engineering and one of the study’s authors.⁷

The “antimicrobial” effect of ionic silver has long been recognized. Ionic silver is extremely broad spectrum when applied to bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens, including mold and yeast. Ionic silver is clearly recognized to be highly effective against essentially every known class of pathogen. Phrases like “antimicrobial” and “no pathogens survive” are intended to be quite broad in scope. And the mechanisms of action that make ionic silver effective as an antimicrobial agent are unique enough to support such claims.

Ionic Silver Stabilization Technology

Back 100 years ago, major pharmaceutical firms made silver products in the form of what is loosely referred to as “colloidal” silver, a process that did the job of delivering silver ions decently for its time. But after the advent of far more profitable antibiotics, silver fell out of favor.

In recent decades, colloidal silver has seen a resurgence in popularity, but primarily in the alternative or natural medicine field, or when sold as a dietary supplement. Meanwhile, important advances in the field of ionic silver stabilization are rapidly rendering colloidal silver products obsolete. New, patented technologies in the stabilization of ionic silver and unique, innovative methods of delivery represent a major breakthrough in antimicrobial technology.

All of the products on the market today that utilize ionic silver for its antimicrobial qualities incorporate a technology to stabilize the silver ions making the product commercially viable. The delivery mechanism varies relative to the environment where the ionic silver is being delivered and to some extent, so too the stabilization methodology employed.

Our growing understanding of stabilization techniques and controlled delivery mechanisms has contributed greatly to the increase in the number of products using ionic silver as an antimicrobial agent. The New York Times stated in a December 2005 article, “Silver, one of humankind’s first weapons against bacteria, is receiving new respect for its antiseptic powers, thanks to the growing ability of researchers to tinker with its molecular structure.”⁹

The same article goes on to say, “But silver’s time-tested - if poorly understood - versatility […] was overshadowed in the latter half of the 20th century by the rise of antibiotics. Now, with more and more bacteria developing resistance to antibiotic [agents], some researchers and healthcare entrepreneurs have returned to silver for another look. This time around, they are armed with nanotechnology, a fast-developing collection of products and skills that helps researchers deploy silver compounds in ways that maximize the availability of silver ions - the element’s most potent form. Scientists also now have a better understanding of the weaknesses of their microbial adversaries.”

Silver May Outshine the Threat of Bird Flu and SARS

Perhaps a possible solution to a SARS or bird flu pandemic, if it were to develop, may already exist today in ionic silver based applications. And it may be the solution for a lot of things that really need an answer today.

Based upon the proliferation of products coming out in the medical field that use ionic silver, it is evident this is a technology that may prove to be the answer to not only MRSA strains, bird flu and SARS, but also for a wide range of infectious diseases that are very real and present threats to the health of the public today.

Using Microbecide™ brand Antimicrobial Spray as a preventative, a treatment or a disinfectant may very well prove to be a major stride in shifting the tide in our favor.

References