Khan Due to their noteworthy antimicrobial activity, nano- particles are recognized as hopeful candidates in the fight against pathogens that have developed resistance. With the advent of nanoscale technology comes new hope that engineered silver nanoparticles will solve the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance. The efficacy of silver nanoparticles with different modifications has been well accepted for the treatment of various systemic and intracel- lular infections without toxic effects in mammalian cells. hence, they can be proposed as potential therapeutic agents in the current scenario. Furthermore, a novel formulation of nanomaterial that can inhibit bacterial and fungal coloniza- tion of surfaces as well as in human and animal systems needs to be developed. Hence the field of nanotechnology and its implications in biology and medicine have opened up new opportunities in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. References 1. Jena P, Mohanty S, Mallik R, et al. Toxicity and antibacterial assess- ment of chitosan-coated silver nanoparticles on human pathogens and macrophage cells. Int J Nanomedicine. 2012;7:1805–1818. 2. Zarrilli R, Vitale D, Di Popolo A, et al. A plasmid-borne blaOXA-58 gene confers imipenem resistance to Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from a Lebanese hospital. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2008;52: 4115–4120. Dovepress 3. Yong D, Toleman MA, Giske CG, et al. Characterization of a new metallo-beta-lactamase gene, BLA (NDM-1), and a novel erythromy- cin esterase gene carried on a unique genetic structure in Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 14 from India. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2009;53:5046–5054. 4. Khan AU, Nordmann P. Spread of carbapenemase NDM-1 producers: the situation in India and what may be proposed. Scand J Infect Dis. 2012;44:531–535. 5. Kumarasamy KK, Toleman MA, Bagaria J, et al. Emergence of a new antibiotic resistance mechanism in India, Pakistan, and the UK: a molecular, biological, and epidemiological study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2010;10:597–602. 6. Chiao SH, Lin SH, Shen CI, et al. Efficacy and safety of nanohybrids com- prising silver nanoparticles and silicate clay for controlling Salmonella infection. Int J Nanomedicine. 2012;7:2421–2432. 7. Lemcke J, Depner F, Meier U. The impact of silver nanoparticle-coated and antibiotic-impregnated external ventricular drainage catheters on the risk of infections: a clinical comparison of 95 patients. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2012;114:347–350. 8. Ragaseema VM, Unnikrishnan S, Kalliyana Krishnan V, et al. The antithrombotic and antimicrobial properties of PEG-protected silver nanoparticle coated surfaces. Biomaterials. 2012;33:3083–3092. International Journal of Nanomedicine Publish your work in this journal The International Journal of Nanomedicine is an international, peer- reviewed journal focusing on the application of nanotechnology in diagnostics, therapeutics, and drug delivery systems throughout the biomedical field. This journal is indexed on PubMed Central, MedLine, CAS, SciSearch®, Current Contents®/Clinical Medicine, Submit your manuscript here: http://www.dovepress.com/international-journal-of-nanomedicine-journal 4324 submit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com Dovepress International Journal of Nanomedicine 2012:7 Dovepress Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, EMBase, Scopus and the Elsevier Bibliographic databases. The manuscript management system is completely online and includes a very quick and fair peer-review system, which is all easy to use. Visit http://www.dovepress.com/ testimonials.php to read real quotes from published authors.