Fig. 1

Antibacterial effect of AgNPs. a Effect of AgNPs on Gram positive bacteria: 1, S.aureus; 2, S. epidermidis; 3, B. globisporus; 4, S. pneumoniae; 5, E. faecalis; 6, S. pyogenes. b Effect of AgNPs on Gram negative bacteria: 1, E. coli;2, H. influenzae; 3, K. pneumoniae; 4, S. typhimurium; 5, S. marcescens; 6, P. aeruginosa; 7, N. gonhorreae. (●) AgNSs, (□) AgNWs, (♦) AgNRs. c Comparison of the effect produced by each specific type of nanostructure on the set of Gram positive bacteria versus the set of Gram negatives for different incubation times; statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) are indicated by asterisks