Sutures Against SSIs

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a pressing clinical issue that costs the U.S. billions of dollars annually and increases mortality rates significantly. To prevent such infections, doctors often prescribe oral antibiotics before and after surgical procedures. Antibiotics, such as triclosan, can also be applied to suture coatings and woven into suture fibers to prevent infection. A major issue with antibiotic use is that some bacteria have mutations that lead to antibiotic resistance. Bacteria can then spread these resistance genes within microbial communities, decreasing the effectiveness of a drug against fighting infections. The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is a newly researched alternative to antibiotic treatment to prevent SSIs. While it is known that AgNPs have antimicrobial properties, their specific infection-fighting mechanisms are unknown. In this proposal, we seek to conduct an in-vivo experiment on mice to test the effectiveness of triclosan-coated Vicryl sutures versus AgNP-coated Vicryl sutures in preventing SSIs during colorectal surgery. Our methods consist of three main stages: suture preparation,in-vivo suture application in mice, and a bacterial enumeration assay. We hope to find that the AgNP-coated sutures are as effective as the triclosan-sutures in preventing SSIs in mice.