New additive fights antimicrobial resistance

Addmaster (UK) Ltd has appreciated the problems involved with antimicrobial resistance and has concentrated its efforts in developing its revolutionary product for use in these medical applications.

Addmaster’s Biomaster masterbatch offers properties that can contribute to better management of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in healthcare environments such as hospitals and nursing homes.

MRSA Staphylococcus aureus, often referred to simply as “staph”, is a bacterium commonly found on the skin and is often found in 20 – 30% of the noses of normal healthy people. Occasionally, staph can get into the body and cause and infection. This infection can be minor such as a skin condition or serious such as a blood infection or pneumonia.

Most strains of this bacterium are sensitive to antibiotics and infections can be effectively treated. Methicilin is a class of antibiotic commonly used to treat staph infections. Although this class of antibiotics is very effective in treating most staph Multi resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, some staph bacteria have developed resistance to methicillin and can no longer be killed by this antibiotic. These resistant bacteria are called methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

Most patients from whom MRSA is isolated are colonised with this organism rather than infected. Colonisation means the presence of the organism on the skin, or in the nose or at the back of the throat but without any illness. However if a patient also has an inflammation or fever associated with the presence of MRSA then they are considered to be infected.

A proportion of patients are at greater risk and MRSA infection usually develops in hospital patients who are elderly or very sick, or who have an open wound such as a bedsore or a tube (such as a catheter) going into the body or have recently had an operation. These patients may then develop illnesses such as wound and skin infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and ‘blood poisoning’.

Where infection is present, antibiotics commonly used to treat methicillin sensitive S.aureus are not effective. Other antibiotics such as Vancomycin and Teicoplanin are therefore often used. However these two antibiotics are expensive may be toxic and have to be given by intravenous infusion.

The single most important infection control measure is scrupulous hand-washing by hospital staff to prevent cross contamination. Patients with MRSA should be physically isolated in a single room with the door remaining closed and the room regularly damp dusted or the patient should be nursed in a special ward away from other non-infected patients.

How can Biomaster help in the fight against cross contamination of MRSA?

Addmaster’s revolutionary antimicrobial additive contributes to better hygiene and help to prevent cross contamination of MRSA. Biomaster works by inhibiting the multiplication of microbes thus reducing their populations and is particularly effective against MRSA. The superior performance against the MRSA strain has meant the product has become increasingly popular in medical applications. At relatively low doses the antimicrobial shows a dramatic reduction in MRSA on a plastic substrate.

The unique performance of Biomaster is related to its patented release system, which relies on an ionic bond with free AG+ (silver ions) to keep it stable. It works by release on demand and is therefore unlike other systems, which have no control over the antimicrobial release, or rely on ceramic/glass barriers. This unique system of silver ions results in excellent anti-wash characteristics.

BioMaster has many benefits over organic systems, which have traditionally been the popular choice of the market over previous years.

The antimicrobial is not associated with side effects, which are often seen with organic systems such as skin rashes. The problems occur with the organic systems due to the high mobility of organic molecules, which also result in a shortened product life. These problems appeared to be an unavoidable consequence of adding an antibacterial to plastic, but with Addmaster’s antimicrobial masterbatch this is no longer the case.

Addmaster’s product is vastly superior to organic antimicrobials owing to its exceptionally low toxicity, which has resulted in it gaining many FDA and EU approvals, including registration under the EU Biocide Directive.

Addmaster, founded in the year 2000, sees its major objective as capitalising on the lack of innovation which exists in these industry sectors, and has won many business awards for innovations in product development and marketing. Addmaster, based in Stafford UK, is Europe’s leading supplier of performance additives for a wide range of applications and industries. By working in partnership with its customers and focussing on research and development, highly innovative additives have been created and successfully introduced into many manufacturing environments.

Addmaster’s advanced products are being used by many of the world’s industry leaders in the plastics, paper, paints, textiles and coating industries. Addmaster, founded in the year 2000, sees its major objective as capitalising on the lack of innovation which exists in these industry sectors, and has won many business awards for innovations in product development and marketing.

*Please note that Addmaster was acquired by the Polygiene Group AB in January 2021, so all news articles prior to that date will still be branded as Addmaster.