[Adherence to copper and stainless steel metal coupons of common nosocomial bacterial strains].

Background: Copper has a bactericidal activity against a series of bacterial strains.

Aim: To measure resistance to bacterial adherence of copper (Cu) and stainless steel (SS) metal coupons.

Material And Methods: Bacterial strains causing nosocomial infections in Chile were analyzed.

[Application of copper bactericidal properties in medical practice].

Copper is essential for cell metabolism in animals and plants and thus for life. Along centuries, copper has been identified as a metal containing antimicrobial properties. In recent years, laboratory assays and clinical studies have revealed that surfaces of metallic copper or its alloys, containing at least 70% copper, eliminate in a few hours several pathogenic organisms including bacterial strains associated with nosocomial infections, influenza virus, HIV, and fungi such as Candida albicans.