Quantitative Comparison of the Antimicrobial Efficiency of Leaching versus Nonleaching Polymer Materials

New antimicrobial materials will be more and more in the focus for hygienic and clinical disease control. Antimicrobial materials have to be distinguished in leaching and nonleaching materials. For many applications of antimicrobial materials on implants the use of nonleaching materials is essential. Therefore, the antimicrobial efficiency of leaching and nonleaching polymers has been investigated quantitatively in vitro in direct comparison on a highly relevant implant of central venous catheters (CVCs) using a well-established called Certika test. This test is especially designed to test antimicrobial properties of leachable and nonleachable materials. This contribution demonstrates that newly developed nonleaching antimicrobial CVCs are equivalent to conventional leaching CVC systems in their antimicrobial performance against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as Candida species. The use of new nonleaching antimicrobial polymers as shown here for CVCs represents a different mode of action with the aim to prevent infections also with antibiotic-resistant strains and reduced side effects.