ABSTRACT
Antimicrobial polymer composites have long been utilized in the healthcare field as part of the first line of defense. These composites are desirable in that they pose a minimal risk of developing contagions with antibiotic resistance. For this reason, the field of antimicrobial composites has seen steady growth over recent years and is becoming increasingly important during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we first review the need of the antimicrobial polymers in high tough surfaces, the antimicrobial mechanism, and then the recent advances in the development of antimicrobial polymer composite including the utilization of intrinsic antimicrobial polymers, the addition of antimicrobial additives, and new exploration of surface patterning. While there are many established and developing methods of imbuing a material with antimicrobial activity, there currently is no standard quantification method for these properties leading to difficulty comparing the efficacy of these materials within the literature. A discussion of the common antimicrobial characterization methods is provided along with highlights on the need of a standardized quantification of antiviral and antibacterial properties in testing to allow ease of comparison between generated libraries and to facilitate proper screening. We also discuss and comment on the current trends of the development of antimicrobial polymer composites with long-lasting and specific antimicrobial activities, nontoxic properties, and environmental friendliness against a broad-spectrum of microbes.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To assess the influence of contemporary contact lens (CL) materials on human coronavirus attachment and the influence of a rub and rinse step to remove these viruses. METHODS: The binding rates of HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 to eight soft CL materials and four rigid gas permeable materials were analyzed. The impact of a rub and rinse step to remove these viruses from all materials was examined. The efficacy of Biotrue (Bausch & Lomb), OPTI-FREE Puremoist (Alcon), Clear Care (Alcon) and cleadew (Ophtecs) to remove virus contamination from two representative soft lens materials (etafilcon A and lotrafilcon B) was also determined. RESULTS: Approximately 102 to 103 infectious viral particles were recovered from each CL material. Although some materials were more prone to coronavirus adhesion, contamination of both viral types was reduced to below the limit of quantification (LQ) from all materials using a simple saline rinse step. Exposure to Clear Care and cleadew reduced the number of infectious viral particles from both etafilcon A and lotrafilcon B to below the LQ, while for Biotrue and OPTI-FREE Puremoist, infectious viral particles were reduced to below the LQ only when additional rub and rinse steps were included. CONCLUSION: Human coronavirus contamination can be easily removed from CL surfaces. Although CL care products containing hydrogen peroxide and povidone-iodine efficiently removed virus contamination from CL surfaces without the need for a rub and rinse step, a full regimen including rub and rinse steps is crucial when using CL care products based on non-oxidative systems.