Bacterial infections remain a major public health concern. However, broad-spectrum antibiotics largely target redundant mechanisms of bacterial survival and lead to gained resistance owing to microbial evolution. New methods are needed to attack bacterial infections, and we have only begun to seek out nature's vast arsenal of antimicrobial weapons. Enzymes offer one such weapon, and their diversity has been exploited to kill bacteria selectively through unique targets, particularly in bacterial cell walls, as well as nonselectively through generation of bactericidal molecules. In both approaches, microbial resistance has largely been absent, which bodes well for its potential use in human therapeutics. Furthermore, enzyme stabilization through conjugation to nanoscale materials and incorporation into polymeric composites enable their use on surfaces to endow them with antimicrobial properties. Here, we highlight the use of enzymes as antimicrobial agents, including applications that may prove effective in new therapeutics and through control of key societal infrastructures.
Keywords: antibiotic alternatives; antimicrobial enzymes; bionanocomposites; endolysins; infectious disease; nanoscale materials.