Antimicrobial Face Shield: Next Generation of Facial Protective Equipment against SARS-CoV-2 and Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2021-09, Vol.22 (17), p.9518
• Main Authors: Tuñón-Molina, Alberto, Martí, Miguel, Muramoto, Yukiko, Noda, Takeshi, Takayama, Kazuo, Serrano-Aroca, Ángel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Atomic force microscopy; Bacteria; Bacteriophage phi 6 - drug effects; Benzalkonium chloride; Benzalkonium Compounds - chemistry; Benzalkonium Compounds - pharmacology; Composite materials; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - pathology; COVID-19 - virology; Developing countries; Disease transmission; Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial - drug effects; Emission analysis; face shield; facial protective equipment; Field emission microscopy; Goggles; Health care; Humans; Influenza; LDCs; Masks; Medical personnel; Methicillin; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Microorganisms; MRSA; MRSE; Multidrug resistance; Multidrug resistant organisms; Nitrogen; Pathogens; Personal Protective Equipment; phage phi 6; Pneumonia; Polyethylene; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polyethylene Terephthalates - chemistry; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - drug effects; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; Scanning electron microscopy; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sneezing; Solvents; Staphylococcus epidermidis - drug effects; Staphylococcus infections; Streptococcus infections; Viruses
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179518

Transparent materials used for facial protection equipment provide protection against microbial infections caused by viruses and bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains. However, transparent materials used for this type of application are made of materials that do not possess antimicrobial activity. They just avoid direct contact between the person and the biological agent. Therefore, healthy people can become infected through contact of the contaminated material surfaces and this equipment constitute an increasing source of infectious biological waste. Furthermore, infected people can transmit microbial infections easily because the protective equipment do not inactivate the microbial load generated while breathing, sneezing or coughing. In this regard, the goal of this work consisted of fabricating a transparent face shield with intrinsic antimicrobial activity that could provide extra-protection against infectious agents and reduce the generation of infectious waste. Thus, a single-use transparent antimicrobial face shield composed of polyethylene terephthalate and an antimicrobial coating of benzalkonium chloride has been developed for the next generation of facial protective equipment. The antimicrobial coating was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy with elemental analysis. This is the first facial transparent protective material capable of inactivating enveloped viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in less than one minute of contact, and the methicillin-resistant and . Bacterial infections contribute to severe pneumonia associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their resistance to antibiotics is increasing. Our extra protective broad-spectrum antimicrobial composite material could also be applied for the fabrication of other facial protective tools such as such as goggles, helmets, plastic masks and space separation screens used for counters or vehicles. This low-cost technology would be very useful to combat the current pandemic and protect health care workers from multidrug-resistant infections in developed and underdeveloped countries.