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What makes a natural clay antibacterial?

January 1, 2011

Natural clays have been used in ancient and modern medicine, but the mechanism(s) that make certain clays lethal against bacterial pathogens has not been identified. We have compared the depositional environments, mineralogies, and chemistries of clays that exhibit antibacterial effects on a broad spectrum of human pathogens including antibiotic resistant strains. Natural antibacterial clays contain nanoscale (

Publication Year 2011
Title What makes a natural clay antibacterial?
DOI 10.1021/es1040688
Authors Lynda B. Williams, David W. Metge, Dennis D. Eberl, Ronald W. Harvey, Amanda G. Turner, Panjai Prapaipong, Amisha T. Port-Peterson
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Environmental Science & Technology
Index ID 70005090
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Branch of Regional Research-Central Region; Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
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