Method of inhibiting harmful microorganisms and barrier-forming composition therefor
Inventors
Sokol, Brian Vincent • Ghannoum, Afif Mahmoud
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-8535646-B2
Publication Date
2013-09-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
A method for blocking, neutralizing, or killing microorganisms that cause infectious disease in a mammal prior to or during the mammal encountering a contaminated environment or item includes: identifying a contaminated environment or item, wherein the contaminated environment or item is known or expected to be contaminated with harmful viral, fungal, or bacterial microorganisms; and administering a therapeutically effective amount of a barrier-forming composition to a mucosa of the mammal prior to or during the mammal encountering the contaminated environment or item. The barrier-forming composition provides a barrier on the mucosa that inhibits the microorganisms from contacting the mucosa. Other related methods are also included.
Core Innovation
The disclosed invention relates to a method for blocking, neutralizing, or killing microorganisms that cause infectious disease in a mammal prior to or during the mammal encountering a contaminated environment or item. The method includes identifying a contaminated environment or item known or expected to be contaminated with harmful viral, fungal, or bacterial microorganisms, then administering a therapeutically effective amount of a barrier-forming composition to a mucosa. The barrier-forming composition provides a barrier on the mucosa that traps and kills microorganisms encountered after the administering step is performed.
The barrier-forming composition is characterized by about 0.01%≤C≤about 0.4% where C is a carbohydrate gum, about 7%≤H≤about 65% where H is a humectant, and 0.050%<A where A is an antimicrobial agent, with all percentages by weight of the total composition. The invention uses this barrier coating on oral or pharyngeal mucosa to inhibit exposure or to block, neutralize, or kill microorganisms encountered after administration.
The invention also addresses immunocompromised mammals by identifying a disrupted area in a mucosa and administering the barrier-forming composition to at least the disrupted area so a barrier forms. In this barrier, microorganisms encountered after the administering step are trapped and killed for a duration of 1 to about 24 hours. In human implementations, the invention further includes identifying airborne contaminated environments for the purpose of trapping and killing airborne microorganisms in the barrier coating.
Claims Coverage
The partial content provides four independent claims: clm-00001, clm-00017, clm-00019, and clm-00024. Across these independent claims, the main inventive features center on identifying a contaminated environment or disrupted mucosal area, administering a defined barrier-forming composition to specific mucosal regions, and trapping and killing microorganisms encountered after administration for stated time windows and target organism groups.
Barrier-forming mucosal trapping and killing after identifying a contaminated environment or item
A method comprising identifying a contaminated environment or item known or expected to be contaminated with harmful viral, fungal, or bacterial microorganisms; administering a therapeutically effective amount of a barrier-forming composition to a mucosa prior to or during the mammal encountering the contaminated environment or item; providing a barrier on the mucosa; trapping and killing microorganisms encountered in the contaminated environment after the administering step is performed, wherein the barrier-forming composition meets about 0.01%≤C≤about 0.4% (C is a carbohydrate gum), about 7%≤H≤about 65% (H is a humectant), and 0.050%<A (A is an antimicrobial agent), with all percentages by weight of the total composition.
Barrier-forming mucosal trapping and killing on disrupted mucosal area in an immunocompromised mammal
A method comprising identifying a disrupted area in a mucosa of the immunocompromised mammal; administering a therapeutically effective amount of a barrier-forming composition to at least the disrupted area so the barrier-forming composition provides a barrier on the disrupted area; trapping and killing microorganisms encountered after the administering step is performed for a duration of 1 to about 24 hours, wherein the barrier-forming composition meets about 0.01%≤C≤about 0.4% (C is a carbohydrate gum), about 7%≤H≤about 65% (H is a humectant), and 0.050%<A (A is an antimicrobial agent), with all percentages by weight of the total composition.
Barrier coating on oral or pharyngeal mucosa to trap and kill airborne microorganisms prior to or during exposure
A method comprising identifying a contaminated environment known or expected to be contaminated with airborne harmful viral, fungal, or bacterial microorganisms; providing a barrier coating on oral or pharyngeal mucosa of a human by administering a therapeutically effective amount of a barrier-forming composition twenty-four hours or less prior to encountering the identified contaminated environment or during encountering the identified contaminated environment; trapping and killing airborne microorganisms encountered in the contaminated environment after the administering step is performed; wherein the barrier coating is effective to trap and kill microorganisms selected from the group consisting of Candida, pneumonia, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, P. gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, S. aureus, Y. enterocolitica, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Acinetobacter baumannii, microorganisms that cause upper respiratory infections, Epstein-Barr Virus, cold, and influenza viruses; and wherein the barrier-forming composition meets about 0.01%≤C≤about 0.4%, about 7%≤H≤about 65%, and 0.050%<A with all percentages by weight of the total composition.
Observing sick humans to identify a contaminated environment and spraying barrier coating to inhibit exposure
A method comprising observing other humans that appear to be sick or spreading germs in the environment; identifying the environment as a contaminated environment in response to observing the other humans; providing a barrier coating on oral or pharyngeal mucosa of the human by spraying a therapeutically effective amount of a barrier-forming composition onto the oral or pharyngeal mucosa; trapping and killing airborne microorganisms encountered in the contaminated environment after the administering step is performed; wherein the barrier coating is effective to trap and kill microorganisms selected from the group consisting of Candida, pneumonia, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, P. gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, S. aureus, Y. enterocolitica, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Acinetobacter baumannii, microorganisms that cause upper respiratory infections, Epstein-Barr Virus, cold, and influenza viruses; and wherein the barrier-forming composition meets about 0.01%≤C≤about 0.4%, about 7%≤H≤about 65%, and 0.050%<A with all percentages by weight of the total composition.
Collectively, the independent claims cover administering a defined barrier-forming composition to mucosa after identifying a contaminated environment or item, administering the composition to a disrupted mucosal area in an immunocompromised mammal, using the composition as a barrier coating on oral or pharyngeal mucosa to trap and kill airborne microorganisms, and inhibiting human mucosal exposure by observing sick or spreading-germ humans to identify a contaminated environment and spraying the barrier-forming composition.
Stated Advantages
Blocking, neutralizing, or killing microorganisms that cause infectious disease in a mammal.
Trapping and killing microorganisms encountered after administration in a barrier on mucosa.
Inhibiting exposure of a mucosa of a human to active microorganisms in an environment.
Providing a barrier coating effective to trap and kill airborne microorganisms encountered in the contaminated environment.
Documented Applications
Blocking, neutralizing, or killing microorganisms that cause infectious disease in a mammal prior to or during encountering a contaminated environment or item.
Blocking, killing, or neutralizing microorganisms that cause infectious disease in an immunocompromised mammal by addressing a disrupted area in mucosa.
In humans, inhibiting exposure to active airborne microorganisms by applying a barrier coating to oral or pharyngeal mucosa before or during encountering a contaminated environment.
In humans, inhibiting mucosal exposure by observing other humans that appear to be sick or spreading germs, identifying the environment as contaminated, and spraying a barrier coating onto oral or pharyngeal mucosa.
Interested in licensing this patent?