Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Use of Quaternary Ammonium Compound Disinfectants in Healthcare Facilities Within Selected States in the United States of America.

Introduction Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are the active ingredient in the majority of disinfectants approved for use against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although widely used, they have been linked to infertility and birth defects in animals, and have been shown to increase proinflammatory cytokines, decrease mitochondrial function, and disrupt sterol biosynthetic pathways in a dose-dependent manner in humans. This study examined if there was an increased use of QAC-based disinfectants among healthcare settings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to bring to light the negative health outcomes that this rise in QAC exposure may pose.

The peptidoglycan-associated protein NapA plays an important role in the envelope integrity and in the pathogenesis of the lyme disease spirochete.

The bacterial pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, is an atypical Gram-negative spirochete that is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected Ixodes tick. In diderms, peptidoglycan (PG) is sandwiched between the inner and outer membrane of the cell envelope. In many other Gram-negative bacteria, PG is bound by protein(s), which provide both structural integrity and continuity between envelope layers.