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. 2020 Oct 15;16(10):e1008880.
doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008880. eCollection 2020 Oct.

Antimicrobial surfaces: A need for stewardship?

Sam S Cassidy  1 , David J Sanders  2 , Jim Wade  3 , Ivan P Parkin  1 , Claire J Carmalt  1 , Andrew M Smith  2 , Elaine Allan  2
Affiliations

Antimicrobial surfaces: A need for stewardship?

Sam S Cassidy et al. PLoS Pathog. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors Sam S. Cassidy and Claire J. Carmalt declare the following potential competing interest: The financial support by the EPSRC for studentship funding (SSC) through the M3S Doctoral Training Centre (Grant EP/L015862/1) and Altro Ltd.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Antimicrobial surfaces operate through a number of mechanisms.
(A) Anti-biofouling surfaces use specific surface energies to stop microbial adhesion by deterring adsorption to the surface or by forming a protective layer [36]. (B) Biocidal nanocomposites release incorporated biocidal species or act as a catalyst to produce biocidal species [32,37]. (C) Nanostructured surfaces are capable of physically rupturing bacterial cells; however, further research is required to understand the impact of nanostructured surfaces on virions [35]. ROS, reactive oxygen species.
Fig 2
Fig 2. A balanced immune system is one that is both efficient against pathogens and safe to the host.
An underactive or weakened immune system increases susceptibility to infectious diseases with the human body unable to fend off pathogenic microorganisms. An overactive or hyperresponsive immune system may react to normally harmless substances in the environment, such as with allergies. Even worse, an overactive immune system may recognise host tissue as foreign and begin to attack the body, such is the case with MS. Whereas exposure to too many pathogens may overwhelm the human body, accumulation and maintenance of a sufficiently diverse microbiota throughout life ensures that the immune system is ‘trained’ to respond appropriately, able to tolerate self- and non-harmful antigens. IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; MS, multiple sclerosis.
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