A microbicide is any compound or substance whose purpose is to reduce the infectivity of microbes, viruses or bacteria. Some products incorporate Nonoxynol-9 towards these ends, but its irritating properties may also increase infectivity, thus making it less preferable. Work is currently being done on other compounds to provide safe, non-irritating, cheap and effective microbicides which do not include Nonoxynol-9. A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... A common alternate meaning of virus is computer virus. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Chemical structure of nonoxynol-9 Nonoxynol-9 is non-ionic surfactant that is used as ingredient in various cleaning and cosmetic products, but is also widely used in contraceptives for its spermicidal properties. ...

A major push is being made toward development of an anti-HIV microbicide which could be produced inexpensively and distributed freely to women in poor countries. This measure is seen as a way to counteract the detrimental effect which culturally-accepted abusive relationships can have on the sexual health of women. The human immunodeficiency virus, commonly called HIV, is a retrovirus that primarily infects vital components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. ...