Authors: Brooklyn Jones
Mentors: Bradford Berges
Insitution: Brigham Young University
Staphylococcus aureus (SA) forms biofilms that cause considerable morbidity and mortality in patients who receive implanted devices such as prosthetics or fixator pins. An ideal surface for such medical devices would inhibit biofilm growth. Recently, it was reported that surface modification of stainless-steel materials with carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes (CICNT) inhibits the growth of SA biofilms. Through previous research, we investigated this antimicrobial effect on titanium (Ti) materials with CICNT coated surfaces in a variety of surface morphologies and across a broader spectrum of SA isolates. We have in vitro evidence that carbon nanotube-treated materials are effective at preventing SA biofilm formation on Ti, the most common material used in human implanted devices. We now wish to study the effects of carbon nanotube treatments on prevention of SA biofilm formation in vivo which has potential value to improving human health .