HPC5_2020

HPC Today 48 WE LIVE IN A MICROBIAL WORLD Earth is teeming with life and the dominant life form on it are microbes. Despite the presence of microbes all around us, people have been taught to view the microscopic world with fear, as for most of recorded human history, the leading cause of death worldwide has been bacterial or viral infections. However, most of the infections that caused death are now easily treated with antibiotics and proper disinfection practices. Unfortunately, these strategies for microbial management come with significant cost, one of which is antimicrobial resistance. This means that the disease-causing microbes have developed resistances to the treatments originally designed to control them. To combat these resistant organisms, stronger antibiotics or chemical treatments are developed and the cycle repeats until we are left with multi- resistant organisms that do not respond to any treatment. Most humans in developed countries spend more than 90% of their lives indoors. In this indoor environment, individuals are exposed to other individuals, dust, trapped external industrial and automotive chemicals, off-gases from building materials, as well as chemicals from the very cleaners we use to protect our indoor environments (1). Our indoor environments, such as our homes, have a unique and natural microbiome that is developed over time and shaped by the inhabitants. Humans, pets, fresh food, water, and air are continuously bringing microbes into the home. Consequently, the concept of “clean” has been taken to such an extreme that we are creating newhealth problems for ourselves. It has been recently shown that reduction in microbial exposure at a young age, due to overcleaned homes, aid the development of several health problems, from obesity to asthma (2). HUMANS ARE JUST TOO CLEAN Cleaning products play a big role in shaping the indoor environment through soil removal, disinfection, and simply improving the overall aesthetic. To achieve desirable effects, a variety of chemicals are used in traditional household cleaners. Exposure to cleaning chemistry, however, can result in health problems, including increased prevalence of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), type 2 diabetes, hormonal imbalances and infertility (3). Furthermore, these chemicals can also influence the environment’s microbiome. However, consumers are becoming more aware of the adverse effects of traditional household cleaners. A recent consumer survey showed that although 78% of targeted consumers are using disinfectant surface cleaner, more than half of them are worried about the skin sensitivity and health impacts it has on their family members (4). Furthermore, 20% said that they are concerned about which microbes are killed in the progress, acknowledging that not all microbes around us need to be killed. Unfortunately, kill-based cleaning practices are designed to remove all microbes from the surfaces (99.9% removal). This elimination of microbes creates a void that is susceptible to recolonization by unknown, potentially opportunistic pathogens. Moreover, it also lowers the microbial diversity in the environment that has been previously linked to decreased resistance to external pathogens (5). The solution? Well, as crazy as it sounds, it just might be more microbes. THE FUTURE OF CLEANING We are all familiar with probiotics to improve gut health. So why not employ probiotic treatments in the indoor environment to improve your “home health”? Using harsh cleaning chemistry which impacts human health should be reserved for those high-risk environments such as hospitals. Further, using harsh kill-based chemistry is also hurting your home’s microbial identity and offering up the chance for undesirable microbes to flourish. It is time to rethink the interaction between chemistry and the microbial ecology of our indoor environment. A potential solution uses microbe-compatible cleaning chemistry containing microbes that remain on hard surfaces after wiping and enable the active bacteria to produce enzymes that continue removing complex soils, in some cases even over multiple days. This novel technology enables deep cleaning of the microscopic nooks and cracks of hard surfaces, which are often left untreated by standard cleaners. In this way, probiotic cleaners meet typical cleaning standards by providing an effective, visual clean, while supporting a balanced home microbiome and moving us away from potentially harmful cleaning chemistry HOME CARE: LAUNDRY & CLEANING Embracing microbes for a healthier clean MARTA KINNUNEN-GRUBB, JOHN HARP, CLEMENS HEIKAUS* *Corresponding author Novozymes North America Inc., Durham, United States Keywords : • Probiotics, • Household Care • Home care • Bacillus • Hard Surface Cleaner • Microbiome • Peer Reviewed Abstract : Cleaning products play a big role in shaping the indoor environment in which humans live. To achieve their desirable effects, however, traditional household cleaners employ a variety of chemicals that can have adverse effects on human health. Probiotic cleaners could be both a healthier and more effective option, meeting typical cleaning standards by providing an effective, visual clean, while also supporting a balanced home microbiome. vol. 15(5) 2020