Essential oil mediated synthesis and application of highly stable copper nanoparticles as coatings on textiles and surfaces for rapid and sustained disinfection of microorganisms

Advancements in Antimicrobial Textiles: Fabrication, Mechanisms of Action, and Applications

Within the past decade, much attention has been drawn to antimicrobial textiles due to their vast potential for reducing the spread of infectious diseases and improving hygiene standards in various environments. This review paper discusses recent studies on preparation methods, modes of action, effectiveness against different microorganisms, and applications of antimicrobial textiles in diverse industries. It examines further challenges, including durability, environmental impact, and regulatory considerations, and looks at prospects for developing and integrating these novel materials. This paper intends to provide a broad-based understanding of state-of-the-art technologies and emerging trends in antimicrobial textiles by integrating existing knowledge and highlighting recent advances in this field that contribute much to improved public health and safety.

Rapid Bacterial/Viral Infections Typing Strategy Using a Portable Dual-Channel Electrochemical Biosensor Based on One-Step Assembly of Immunomagnetic Beads

Amidst multiple epidemics, a rapid, sensitive, economical, and portable infection diagnosis strategy is crucial for primary medical care, particularly through the analysis of pathogen sources to determine appropriate antibiotic use. C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) are host-related biomarkers, and their combined detection can effectively distinguish between bacterial and viral infections, which holds great significance for the diagnosis of unknown pathogens. In this work, a portable dual-channel electrochemical biosensor based on a one-step assembly of immunomagnetic beads was proposed for the on-site combined detection of plasma CRP and SAA, which streamlined the operation and shortened the minimum detection time to less than 3 min. The biosensor exhibited excellent linearity in the detection of 3.125-1250 ng/mL CRP and 31.25-1250 ng/mL SAA, with detection limits of 0.91 and 12 ng/mL, respectively, falling within the clinically relevant reference range. Through simulated sample tests, the biosensor effectively distinguished between bacterial infection, viral infection, and healthy plasma samples. The actual sample tests demonstrated a high correlation and comparable medical value to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Overall, this proposed strategy showed potential to aid in infection diagnosis and enable rapid combined detection of multiple biomarkers.

Recent advances in electrochemical sensing and remediation technologies for ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is an extensively used broad-spectrum, fluoroquinolone antibiotic used for treating diverse bacterial infections. Effluent treatment plants (ETPs) worldwide lack technologies to detect or remediate antibiotics. CIP reaches the aquatic phase primarily due to inappropriate disposal practices, lack of point-of-use sensing, and preloaded activated charcoal filter at ETPs. The co-existence of bacteria and CIP in such aqueous pools has promoted fluoroquinolone resistance in bacteria and should be minimized. The worldwide accepted standard detection methodologies for the detection of CIP are high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, which are lab-based, require state-of-the-art equipment, and are expensive. Hence, it is difficult to integrate them for on-site monitoring. Further, the current remediation technologies like conventional sludge-treatment techniques fail to remove antibiotics such as CIP. Several point-of-use technologies for the detection of CIP are being investigated. These typically involve the development of electrochemical sensors where substrates, modifiers, biorecognition elements, and their chemistries are designed and optimized to enable robust, point-of-use detection of CIP. Similarly, remediation techniques like adsorption, membrane filtration, ion exchange, photocatalysis, ozonation, oxidation by Fenton's reagent, and bioremediation are explored, but their onsite use is limited. The use of these sensing and remediation technologies in tandem is possibly the only way the issues related to antimicrobial resistance may be effectively tackled. This article provides a focused critical review on the recent advances in the development of such technologies, laying out the prospects and perspectives of their synergistic use to curb the menace of AMR and preserve antibiotics.