The variety of materials capable of exerting antimicrobial activity provides options not only for treating microbial infection but also for preventing microbial transmission and infection. They are also capable of reducing some of the other effects of bacterial and microbial growth such as fouling and food spoilage. While materials are subject to evolutionary strains in microbes and thus require monitoring, they provide broader and longer-term means to deal with a variety of problems related to microbial growth and infection.