Nanoparticles as New Antimicrobial Agents

Antimicrobials are the synthetic molecules obtained from natural sources are widely used against
pathogenic microbes. The improper use of these antimicrobial agents has resulted in multi-drug
resistance property among various pathogens and is a great threat to the global population. Also, the
spread of these resistant microbes is a great challenge to the medical practitioners. The use of novel
technologies to replace conventional antimicrobials can curtain antimicrobial resistance.
Nanotechnology driven innovations could give a hope for the patients as well as physicians in solving
the problem of drug resistance. The medical and veterinary application of nanomaterials which are in
the size of atomic or molecular scale has been tremendously increased. It has been well known that
metallic compounds have high antimicrobial/bactericidal activity. Various nanomaterials have been
documented against several bacteria. The development of an effective nanocomposite requires a
profound knowledge on both physicochemical features of nanomaterials and biological characteristics
of microbes. In addition, the health hazards linked to various nanoparticles need to be addressed
thoroughly.