Disclosed herein are a coating, a textile finish, a wax, elastomer, a filler, an adhesive, or a sealant, as well as polymeric materials such as a plastic, a laminate, a composite, that includes an enzyme that degrades cell wall or cell membrane components (e.g., a lysozyme, lytic transgrycosylase) alone or in combination with other enzymes such as a lipolytic enzyme, a sulfuric ester hydrolase, an organophosphorus compound degradation enzyme, or an antimicrobial peptide. Also disclosed herein are methods of retarding or preventing microbial growth on or in a coating, paint, textile finish, wax, elastomer, adhesive, sealant, filler, or a polymeric material, where such a surface material includes an enzyme that degrades cell wall or cell membrane components (e.g., a lysozyme, lytic transgrycosylase).
