According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines or other antimicrobial products, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial products become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.
Taking this into consideration, studying BactiBlock capabilities against multi-drug resistance bacteria seemed something definitively necessary. Hence, specific tests have been carried out at an external laboratory with the aim of showing such kind of activity for BactiBlock 920 B4 and BactiBlock 101 R4.47.
The list of microorganisms has been chosen considering the WHO criteria and priorities established by them:
Priority 1: CRITICAL
· Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant (Acinetobacter baumannii NCTC 13302)
· Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant (Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC 13437)
· Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant, ESBL-producing (Escherichia coli NCTC 13353, Salmonella CIP 107220)
Priority 2: HIGH
· Enterococcus faecium, vancomycin-resistant (Enterococcus faecium CECT 5253)
· Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant, (Staphylococcus aureus CECT 5190)
Priority 3: MEDIUM
· Streptococcus pneumoniae, penicillin-non-susceptible (Streptococcus pneumoniae CIP 104470)
Results confirmed that in all cases and at usual addition levels, BactiBlock 920 B4 and BactiBlock 101 R4.47, thanks to its silver-based technology, are still highly effective. Since these critical microorganisms don’t have effective treatment at the moment, the effectiveness of BactiBlock against them can be considered has a highly promising result.
One of the biggest risks for getting an antibiotic-resistant infection is staying in a healthcare facility, such as a hospital. Patients in these facilities are commonly exposed to antibiotics and receive lots of hands on care. Additionally, most resistant germs are more common in hospitals than in the community. Approximately 1 in 25 people admitted to a hospital will suffer a health care–associated infection (HAI). And of course, environmental contamination of hospital surfaces contributes to HAI transmission.
Most critical surfaces can be treated with different kinds of formulations that are compatible with BactiBlock: bedframes, medical equipment, furniture, walls, ceilings, windows, doors or hallways just to name a few.
Therefore, applying coatings containing BactiBlock in hospitals and other public places is definitely an optimal an appealing solution if we want to reduce such kind of infections. And what’s more, BactiBlock is also active against Sars-Cov-2 (originating COVID-19 disease).