What is an Antimicrobial Agent?
Topical antimicrobial agents (commonly called antiseptics) are products applied to skin or other living tissue to disable, inactivate or kill micro-organisms and reduce total skin bacterial counts of both transient and resident flora. In contrast, disinfectants are chemicals that are used on inanimate objects such as tables, tops and floors (1). An antimicrobial agent is defined as any compound that selectively destroys or inhibits the growth of micro-organisms. Antibiotics, antiseptics and disinfectants are all classified as antimicrobial agents (2). For the purpose of this topic, we will be exploring the antimicrobial agents used in antiseptic solutions only. The purpose of skin disinfection is three-fold (3): • to protect open wounds and other vulnerable sites from micro-organisms transferred on the hands of staff • to protect the patient’s tissues against his / her endogenous flora during surgery or an invasive technique • occasionally to treat carriers and dispersers of multi-resi
Related Questions
- The MIC is the minimal inhibitory concentration of an antimicrobial agent MICs are used to assess the dosage of antimicrobial necessary to inhibit the growth of organisms. How is a MIC performed and how is this related to laboratory mathematics?
- What is the active antimicrobial agent in PuriCores Solutions?
- How is copper currently used as an antimicrobial agent?
