Polymers against antibiotic-resistant microbes developed

These polyelectrolytes were found to be active against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria with a minimum inhibitory concentration of only 25 micrograms per millilitre. As for the effect on human blood cells, cationic polymers with a lower degree of polymerisation have a more pronounced selective effect on microbes than on erythrocytes.