Bygiene: The New Paradigm of Bidirectional Hygiene.
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: The pervasive dogma surrounding the evolution of virulence - -namely, that a pathogen's virulence decreases over time to prevent threatening its host -- is an archaic assertion that is more appropriately cast as an optimization of virulence cost and benefit. However, the prevailing attitudes underlying practices of medical hygiene and sanitization remain entrenched in these passé ideas. This is true despite the emergence of evidence linking those practices to mounting virulence and antimicrobial resistance in the hospital. It is, therefore, our position that just as the microbe has sought an optimized balance in virulence, so should we seek such an optimized balance in vigilance, complementing warfare with restoration. We call this approach "bygiene," or bidirectional hygiene.
Source: PubMed Central
Authors: Gabriel A Al-Ghalith, Dan Knights
Institution: University of Minnesota
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2174719014