To provide an antibacterial and antifungal agent derived from natural products, imparting high hydrophilic property and exhibiting sufficient antimicrobial activity while taking advantages of polysaccharides having little bad influence on environment and human bodies by solving problems in which several natural antimicrobial agents using alginic acid and suggested hitherto could not obtain sufficient antimicrobial activity, though conventional antimicrobial agents are largely divided to organic, inorganic and natural agents and have each merits and demerits and are properly used according to applications.

The antibacterial and antifungal agent comprises polyuronic acid prepared by oxidizing polysaccharides comprising N-acetylglucosamine or glucosamine or glucose, or polysaccharides such as starch and converting a part of the hydroxy groups thereof to a carboxy group or its salt as an active ingredient.

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