Little did we know, when we started writing this review on fatty acids and monoglycerides as antimicrobials and antivirals, that the world would soon be in the midst of a global pandemic caused by a lipid-membrane-enveloped virus. A major motivation for this project was to cover the latest technology with the potential to stop the devastating spread of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) across Asia, and the continuing challenges from Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV), all lipid-membrane-enveloped viruses. We considered it worthwhile to review the latest published research concerning certain membrane-active compounds, fatty acids and monoglycerides, which have potential to thwart lipid-membrane-enveloped viruses and pathogenic bacteria. So, we assembled a diverse team, including a leading light in swine nutrition, a membrane biophysicist, and a physiologist to review and synthesize a narrative around the latest scientific works on the topic. The result of that effort is published online this week in the Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, one of the top journals in the field ( https://rdcu.be/b3J87 ). We chose this journal because it provides free, open access for the world’s scientists and industry experts to gain inspiration from the fast-moving progress on this topic. There are many applications of this work in livestock production, while human medical applications are also being explored around the world. Are there potential applications of the concepts in this review to reduce the spread or effects of Covid-19? We won’t speculate, but others immersed in the field may find some useful information to assimilate into their work.
