Today's Challenges

The abuse of antibiotics is a public health concern.  Over the years there has been overuse and misuse of antibiotics in disease treatments of animals and humans. These behaviors have accelerated the generation of superbugs (antibiotic resistant bacteria).

Various bacteria, resistant to antibiotics, have emerged and are called superbugs. These superbugs are difficult to kill and are harmful to both humans and animals. The development of novel antibiotics to mitigate these superbugs has not kept pace and the industry is using its ‘last line of defense’ to battle these superbugs.
“A new report released Wednesday from the OECD estimates that antimicrobial resistant infection is on track to kill 30,000 Americans per year by 2050. The financial cost to the 33 developed countries included in the study could be as high as $3.5 billion a year.”

Source: Superbugs pose a dangerous, $65 billion threat to the US healthcare system, CNBC article.

Biofilm is a layer of bacteria that can adhere to any surface.  A typical example is the bacteria that gets left behind after non-thorough cleaning and creates its own protective layer. This protective layer is made up of complex extracellular polymeric substances, a matrix which is generally composed of eDNA, proteins, and polysaccharides, and shows high resistance to antibiotics. Biofilm is one of the major causes of infection persistence.
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Synthetic disinfectants are widely used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms. Recent evidence from peer-reviewed studies and articles have raised concerns about synthetic disinfectants (QUATs – quaternary ammonium compounds) and their potential long-term side effects on reproductive and developmental systems (as evidenced in animal research).