Antimicrobials: Healthcare's Silver Bullet Against HAIs?

By many accounts, antimicrobials are looked to as the silver bullets of the healthcare arsenal against pathogenic microorganisms. Defined broadly, an antibacterial is an agent that interferes with the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Researchers at Tufts University’s Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) emphasize that while antibiotics and antibacterials each attack bacteria, these terms have evolved to mean two different things. Antibacterials are now described as agents used to disinfect surfaces and eliminate bacteria, and are commonly found in consumer-oriented soaps, detergents, health and skincare products, and household cleaners. Antibacterials may be divided into two groups according to their speed of action and residue production. The first group contains those that act rapidly to destroy bacteria, but quickly disappear and leave no active residue behind. Examples of this type are the alcohols, chlorine, peroxides, and aldehydes. The second group consists of compounds that leave long-acting residues on the surface to be disinfected and are residue-producing. Common examples of this group are triclosan, triclocarban, and benzalkonium chloride.