Sonovia: Using antimicrobial textiles to slay the superbug - opinion

• Author: LIAT GOLDHAMMER
• Published date: 13 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

According to the CDC's "2019 Antibiotics Resistance Threats in the US" report, there are more than 2.8 million yearly antibiotic-resistant infections and more than 35,000 deaths per year as a result in the United States alone. Treating infections caused by six common drug-resistant germs amounts to more than $4.6 billion in annual national costs.

Our ability to treat and cure once-simple diseases is becoming compromised unless we find new, effective ways to eradicate AMR pathogens. With the frequent mutation and adaptation of pathogens to medication, other means of fighting AMR must be incorporated to reduce the levels of resistant microbes in the environment. Common public areas such as public transportation and public transportation hubs, hotels, hospitals and healthcare facilities, restaurants, etc., contain high-touch textiles and fabrics that can quickly spread infection. Antimicrobial textiles provide another means to effectively reduce pathogen levels in human surroundings.

Antimicrobial fabrics are fabrics that have been treated to be functionally active in killing microorganisms or in inhibiting their growth. This can be achieved in a number of ways and methods of treatment, usually by impregnating or coating textiles with antimicrobial compounds through leaching or non-leaching methods. The most common method of leaching antimicrobial compounds loses potency over time with each wash cycle, quickly reaching below-lethal levels and hence becoming ineffective.

Sonovia uses innovative patented ultrasonic cavitation technology to forcefully blast textiles with metallic oxide compounds. The sheer force of the cavitation process embeds the antimicrobial compounds within the textile's structure, providing long-lasting performance and potency. In fact, lab results show that Sonovia's treated antimicrobial fabrics maintain their potency for over 55 washes. Sonovia's technology is eco-friendly and requires no harmful chemical binders, conserving precious drinking water in its process compared with the prevalent antimicrobial finishing methods on the...