List of Common Pathogens Targeted by Antimicrobial Coatings, as per Charles Brodsky

 Chuck Brodsky DC

List of Common Pathogens Targeted by Antimicrobial Coatings, as per Charles Brodsky

Antimicrobial coatings provide a permanent and autonomous solution to this contamination, complementing standard hygiene measures while decreasing surface contamination.

Candida auris has been implicated as one of the primary transmission sources (Schelenz et al. 2020). Therefore, cardiothoracic centers have become the primary targets for QACs to combat it.

1. Bacteria

Charles Brodsky suggests that Bacteria are microorganisms made up of single cells that comprise an essential part of Earth's biodiversity. While some bacteria - like Streptococcus bacteria, which cause strep throat - can be pathogenic, most do not lead to any diseases and can be found everywhere on Earth. They play essential roles in natural processes like decomposition, fermentation, plant growth, and supporting human bodily functions.

A bacterium's cell is protected by a membrane that holds cytoplasm and chromosomes, with its outermost membrane encasing a rigid wall that gives shape and strength while shielding against environmental factors that could kill it.

Millions of different bacteria, with various sizes and shapes, from microscopic spheres, cylinders, spirals, and filamentous chains. As bacteria lack nuclei, they are called prokaryotes, often called "the smallest living things."

Most bacteria are aerobic, using oxygen for respiration and growing best at temperatures between 20-30oC. Some anaerobic strains use other chemicals or nutrients as fuel instead of oxygen; these organisms can then be further classified by how they get their energy - some species being heterotrophs, which extract organic compounds from their surroundings; autotrophs that directly get power from inorganic substances; while still, others called chemoautotrophs produce their food via chemical transformations.

Some bacteria create non-reproductive, dormant, resistant, and dehydrated structures called spores when they sense an environment that is difficult for survival. When conditions allow, these spores can reproduce back into original bacteria; two examples include Clostridium tetani and Clostridium botulinum, which produce these structures.

Antimicrobial coatings are composed of polymers that bind to surfaces and release biocides that kill microorganisms on contact. Some antimicrobial formulations use natural products, like silver or copper oxides; others contain synthetic molecules designed to mimic naturally occurring biocides. Selecting the ideal formulation and surface combination for antimicrobial protection can provide durable protection from pathogens like Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

2. Viruses

Viruses are infectious microorganisms composed of microscopic particles coated in protein that carry genetic material - either DNA or RNA - from their host cell into its host's system through droplets and particles that enter through breathing air, contact with surfaces carrying viruses that then touch our noses, mouths or eyes, etc. There are billions of viruses, but only a few cause human disease. They infiltrate all forms of life, including plants, animals, and microorganisms alike, while spreading further via droplets entering our systems or contact with surfaces or objects carrying viruses, then touching our nose, mouth, or eyes to start spreading their infectious cargo inside our systems - similar to bacteria and archaea bacteria.

Charles Brodsky (DC) highlights that once viruses enter our bodies, they quickly attack living cells to replicate themselves and may make people ill. Still, their immune systems can often fight it off successfully, with no symptoms present at all. Some viruses target specific tissue or organ types; for instance, the hepatitis virus only targets liver cells, while some species-transmissible viruses, like coronaviruses (SARS, MERS, and COVID-19), have spread from bats into people.

To infiltrate a host cell, viruses must bind to receptor sites on that cell's surface; these binding sites can often be identified using particular proteins present on virus particles and recognized by these specialized proteins. Furthermore, some viral proteins act as surface projectiles, targeting other nearby receptors.

There are various families of viruses, each distinguished by the type of nucleic acid it encases, the capsid shape and size used to protect its genome, and the presence or absence of a lipid envelope. Capsids are composed of multiple protein subunits that assemble to create shell-like structures - typically rod-shaped (filaments), spheres (polygons), or 20-sided polygons (icosahedrons).

Herpesviruses, influenza viruses, and hepatitis viruses can all cause human disease. Some viruses remain dormant for long periods before reappearing when our immune systems become compromised.

3. Pathogenic Fungi

Fungal pathogens are specific kinds of fungi that display parasitic traits and infect host organisms, disrupting normal functions and leading to disease. Furthermore, they play a crucial role in shaping biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics.

Fungi are often divided into several distinct groups based on their morphology, modes of reproduction, and diseases they cause. Morphology refers to the structures and appearance of fungi, whether yeast- or mold-like forms, depending on temperature conditions; sexual reproduction occurs sexually while asexual reproduction also occurs; pathogenic strains produce enzymes to break down host tissue and strategies bypassing the immune system.

Fungal infections are notoriously difficult to treat due to the body's immune response - making ringworm, athlete's foot fungus, and nail fungus, among other fungal skin infections, particularly stubborn cases of the disease, as per Charles Brodsky. While Aspergillus fungi, found widely throughout nature, can be responsible for aspergillosis in severe lung infections, other species of Aspergillus can lead to other skin conditions like athlete's foot or nail fungus infections.

Although many antifungal drugs have already been developed, the high costs associated with research and development make creating new treatment methods challenging. To address this challenge, NIAID is funding research into new antifungal agents and targets and human immune responses that prevent or worsen fungal infection.

Charles Brodsky (DC) mentions that Antibiotic resistance poses an imminent global public health crisis. To counter it, WHO has created a list of priority pathogens that pose the greatest dangers to human health and merit intensive R&D investment. These bacteria possess inherent abilities that allow them to avoid antibiotic treatments while passing along genetic material that further strengthens resistance.

4. Other Microorganisms

Microorganisms, commonly called microbes, make up much of Earth's living material and are essential in maintaining its ecosystem. Microbes represent an array of microscopic organisms that can be divided into seven distinct groups based on cellular composition, morphology, and mode of locomotion: bacteria, archaea, protozoa, algae, fungi viruses, as well as multicellular animal parasites (helminths).

Bacteria are prokaryotic unicellular organisms with one cell that typically form one of four general shapes: spherical (coccus), rod-shaped (bacillus), spiral-shaped (spirochete or vibrio), or spiral-shaped eubacterium belonging to Cyanobacteria or blue-green alga). They all possess cell walls made of peptidoglycan and divide by binary fission; bacteria live in all environments without sunlight and recycle their elements back into life forms by recycling their components for reuse by other life forms - some even cause disease; some bacteria are responsible for in humans or animal animals alike!

Some bacteria are anaerobes, meaning that they only thrive without oxygen. This includes some normal intestinal flora and more dangerous species like Salmonella. Most mesophilic bacteria thrive at moderate temperatures, including those found on skin or digestive tract surfaces and within foods themselves; mesophiles cause food poisoning, tetanus, botulism, and some dental infections, among other things.     

Antimicrobial coatings also target other microorganisms, including plants, algae, fungi and viruses that infiltrate other cells. Coatings may either kill pathogens on contact or repel them and prevent their regrowth - thus protecting surfaces against infection, according to Charles Brodsky (DC).

Antimicrobial coatings can be invaluable in healthcare facilities, as they help decrease hospital-acquired infections (HAI). Antimicrobial coatings can be applied to doorknobs, faucets, switches, and other high-touch areas in healthcare facilities to eliminate germs that accumulate there; additionally, they are applied to medical equipment, catheters, surgical instruments, trays, non-woven textiles used by hospitals, and pharmaceutical products that could become targets of contamination or pathogen transmission.