Antimicrobial

An antimicrobial substance (English antimicrobial agent ) is a biocide that reduces the viability or infectivity of microorganisms or kills them off, or inactivated. To those antimicrobials that are used as a specific drug in an infectious disease include antibiotics against bacteria and antifungal agents against fungi and pathogenic yeasts (eg Candida spp.). Further to be expected, all of the antimicrobial antiparasitic substances, which in turn anthelmintics against parasitic worms and antiprotozoals against pathogenic amoeba be expected (for example Giardia spp.). These antimicrobial substances are also sometimes referred to as antimicrobial (plural: antimicrobials ) refers.

In addition to these groups of substances that serve to direct specific therapy, include all disinfectants to the antimicrobial substances. This can also inactivate viruses in addition to the agents mentioned above. There are also engineered surface structures (eg, silver and copper) or by means of nanostructures of titanium dioxide are by disinfecting effect antimicrobial activity (see Photocatalytic self-cleaning ).

To the antimicrobial substances also occur physicochemical or physical influence, which also have antimicrobial activity, such as the pH, heat ( pasteurization, heat sterilization) or ionizing radiation (gamma radiation). Antimicrobials are found as natural substances even in higher organisms to non-specific defense against bacteria and fungi - such as antimicrobial peptides and lysozyme in vertebrates, various substances in insects ( see, eg, diving beetles ). Antimicrobial defense compounds of plants are for example the phytoalexins.