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Antibacterial Clays: Scientific Investigations of Their Practical Applications in Medicine

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Practical Applications of Medical Geology

Abstract

The use of natural clays in wound healing is a practice used by many cultures since prehistoric times. Many minerals beneficial to human health have been used in drug designs. However, the last decade has seen a renewed interest in the use of natural resources that exhibit antibacterial effects, and in understanding the natural antibacterial mechanism as an alternative to antibiotics, to which bacteria have become resistant. Empirical observations of infections healed by application of hydrated reduced iron-bearing clays have led to evaluation of their practical applications in medicine. Mechanistic studies have been conducted in vitro, showing that some clays are effective against planktonic and biofilm forms of mono-microbial colonies, including antibiotic-resistant pathogens. This chapter reviews our current knowledge of what makes clays antibacterial, documenting evidence of the effectiveness of these minerals in killing common hospital-acquired bacterial infections, and explores the potential for modern medicinal applications of clays in the topical treatment of infections.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation research grants (NSF EAR-1123931 and NSF EAR-1719325), the National Institutes of Health (NIH R21 AT003618), and the Arizona State University SIMS Facility is supported by NSF EAR 1819550 . Thanks to the many colleagues and students who have contributed to this work, and to Line Brunet de Courssou for drawing international attention to the healing properties of natural clays.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth & Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Lynda B. Williams

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  1. Lynda B. Williams
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Correspondence to Lynda B. Williams .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine University of New Mexico, LJS Consulting Sandia Park, New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Malcolm Siegel

  2. Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden

    Olle Selinus

  3. Department of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA

    Robert Finkelman

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Williams, L.B. (2021). Antibacterial Clays: Scientific Investigations of Their Practical Applications in Medicine. In: Siegel, M., Selinus, O., Finkelman, R. (eds) Practical Applications of Medical Geology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53893-4_20

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