Charged polymers and hydrogels as antimicrobial materials for prevention of infections

Abstract

Infectious diseases are a serious threat public health and a significant burden on global economies.1 Infectious diseases led to more human deaths than any other disease and are responsible for more than 25% of all fatalities world-wide (about 8.2 million of the total 28.3 million deaths).2 In India the situation is even poorer as the burden of infectious diseases in India is among the highest in the world.3 These diseases are caused mainly by the microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc. Among all these causative organisms, bacterial infectious diseases contribute almost 54.3% to overall global infectious disease burden (6.6 million deaths).2 Bacteria are responsible for causing various diseases like respiratory infections, chronic diseases (such as gastric ulcers and gastric cancer), tuberculosis, diarrhoea, sepsis, pneumonia, endocarditis, skin and soft tissue infections, etc. In addition to bacterial infections, fungi are also identified as major pathogens in human especially in bloodstream infections (6.3% of overall infectious diseases are caused by fungi).2