Antimicrobial textiles: Biogenic silver nanoparticles against Candida and Xanthomonas

•Cotton fibers were impregnated with biogenic nanosilver.•Supramolecular interactions between nanosilver and biomolecules are described.•Antibacterial activity of nanosilver cotton fibers was tested against Xanthomonas and Candida.•Antiseptic clothing for medical and agronomic applications is presented.

This paper introduces cotton fibers impregnated with biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), synthesized from a Fusarium oxysporum fungal filtrate (FF) solution, and open up the possibility for their use in medical environment and agriculture clothing as means to avoid microbial spreading. After thorough AgNPs characterization, regarding their physical, chemical and biochemical properties, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) against some human and orange tree pathogens were determined. We report the strong AgNPs activity against Candida parapsilosis and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) that was morphologically characterized, pointing to strong AgNPs effects on microorganisms' membranes. Cotton fibers were then impregnated with AgNPs suspension and these maintained strong antimicrobial activity even after repeated mechanical washing cycles (up to 10). Reported data might point to an application for biogenic AgNPs as potent agrochemicals, as well as, to their application in textiles for antiseptic clothing for medical and agronomic applications.

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