title: The tuberculocidal activity of polyaniline and functionalised polyanilines.
abstract: Tuberculosis is considered a leading cause of death worldwide. More than 95% of cases and deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. In resource-limited countries, hospitals often lack adequate facilities to manage and isolate patients with infectious tuberculosis (TB), relying instead on personal protective equipment, such as facemasks, to reduce nosocomial transmission of the disease. Facemasks impregnated with an antimicrobial agent may be a cost-effective way of adding an extra level of protection against the spread of TB by reducing the risk of disease transmission. Conducting polymers, such as polyaniline (PANI), and their functionalised derivatives are a novel class of antimicrobial agents with potential as non-leaching additives to provide contamination resistant surfaces. We have investigated the antimicrobial action of PANI and a functionalised derivative, poly-3-aminobenzoic acid (P3ABA), against mycobacteria and have determined the optimal treatment time and concentration to achieve significant knockdown ofMycobacterium smegmatisandMycobacterium tuberculosison an agar surface. Results indicated that P3ABA is a potential candidate for use as an anti-tuberculoid agent in facemasks to reduce TB transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Siouxsie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiles
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gizdavic-Nikolaidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Swift
keywords: Antimicrobial; Infection control; Tuberculosis