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Anti-microbial coating innovations to prevent infectious diseases (AMiCI): Cost action ca15114.

  • Dunne CP a Centre for Interventions in Infection, Inflammation & Immunity (4i) and Graduate Entry Medical School , University of Limerick , Limerick , Ireland.
  • Keinänen-Toivola MM b Satakunta University of Applied Sciences , Rauma , Finland.
  • Kahru A c Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology , National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics , Tallinn , Estonia.
  • Teunissen B e Chemelot Innovation and Learning Labs , Geleen , The Netherlands.
  • Olmez H f TÜBİTAK MAM Material Institute , Gebze , Kocaeli , Turkey.
  • Gouveia I g FibEntech - Fiber Materials and Environmental Technologies Research Unit , University of Beira Interior , Covilhã , Portugal.
  • Melo L h Faculty of Engineering , University of Beira Interior , Covilhã , Portugal.
  • Murzyn K i LifeScience Krakow Klaster , Krakow , Poland.
  • Modic M j Department of Surface Engineering and Electronics , Jozef Stefan Institute , Ljubljana , Slovenia.
  • Ahonen M b Satakunta University of Applied Sciences , Rauma , Finland.
  • Askew P k Industrial Microbiological Services Ltd (IMSL) , Hants , United Kingdom.
  • Papadopoulos T l Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine , Aristotle University, Auth Campus , Thessaloniki , Greece.
  • Adlhart C m Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW , Wädenswil , Switzerland.
  • Crijns FRL n Zuyd University of Applied Sciences , Heerlen , The Netherlands.
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  • 2017-04-29
Published in:
  • Bioengineered. - 2017
COST
acquired
antibacterial
antimicrobial
coatings
healthcare
hospital
infection
prevention
risk-benefit analysis
Anti-Infective Agents
Cross Infection
Humans
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci
English Worldwide, millions of patients are affected annually by healthcare-associated infection (HCAI), impacting up to 80,000 patients in European Hospitals on any given day. This represents not only public health risk, but also an economic burden. Complementing routine hand hygiene practices, cleaning and disinfection, antimicrobial coatings hold promise based, in essence, on the application of materials and chemicals with persistent bactericidal or -static properties onto surfaces or in textiles used in healthcare environments. The focus of considerable commercial investment and academic research energies, such antimicrobial coating-based approaches are widely believed to have potential in reduction of microbial numbers on surfaces in clinical settings. This belief exists despite definitive evidence as to their efficacy and is based somewhat on positive studies involving, for example, copper, silver or gold ions, titanium or organosilane, albeit under laboratory conditions. The literature describes successful delay and/or prevention of recontamination following conventional cleaning and disinfection by problematic microbes such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE), among others. However, there is a scarcity of studies assessing antimicrobial surfaces other than copper in the clinical environment, and a complete lack of published data regarding the successful implementation of these materials on clinically significant outcomes (including HCAI). Through its Cooperation in Science and Technology program (COST), the European Commission has funded a 4-year initiative to establish a network of stakeholders involved in development, regulation and use of novel anti-microbial coatings for prevention of HCAI. The network (AMiCI) comprises participants of more than 60 universities, research institutes and companies across 29 European countries and, to-date, represents the most comprehensive consortium targeting use of these emergent technologies in healthcare settings. More specifically, the network will prioritise coordinated research on the effects (both positive and negative) of antimicrobial coatings in healthcare sectors; know-how regarding availability and mechanisms of action of (nano)-coatings; possible adverse effects of such materials (e.g., potential emergence of microbial resistance or emission of toxic agents into the environment); standardised performance assessments for antimicrobial coatings; identification and dissemination of best practices by hospitals, other clinical facilities, regulators and manufacturers.
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  • English
Open access status
gold
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Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/32935
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