Abstract
Background: Healthcare-associated infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens are associated with increased mortality and morbidity among hospitalized patients. Inanimate surfaces, and in particular high-touch surfaces, have often been described as the source for outbreaks of nosocomial infections. The present work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a last-generation mobile (robotic) irradiation UV-C light device R2S on MDR microorganisms in inanimate surfaces and its translation to hospital disinfection. Methods: The efficacy of R2S system was evaluated in environmental high-touch surfaces of two separate outpatient rooms of Perugia Hospital in Italy. The static UV-C irradiation effect was investigated on both the bacterial growth of S. aureus, MRSA, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae KPC and photoreactivation. The antimicrobial activity was also tested on different surfaces, including glass, steel, and plastic. Results: In the environmental tests, the R2S system decreased the number of bacteria, molds, and yeasts of each high-touch spot surface (HTSs) compared with manual sanitization. UV-C light irradiation significantly inhibits in vitro bacterial growth, also preventing photoreactivation. UV-C light bactericidal activity on MDR microorganisms is affected by the type of materials of inanimate surfaces. Conclusions: The last-generation mobile R2S system is a more reliable sanitizing procedure compared with its manual counterpart.
Highlights
Hospital-associated infections caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms are one of the biggest threats to public health in the EU/EEA region and globally
Ultraviolet-C light (UV-C) irradiation reduced the number of bacterial, yeast, and mold colony forming units (CFU) in all the sampling spots of the two rooms with an efficacy that was higher, and only in few cases similar, to that observed for the manual protocol
We demonstrated that static UV-C irradiation produces a bactericidal effect against multi-antibiotic resistant clinical isolates, including S. aureus methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae KPC, with a reduction of CFU number up to 6 logarithmic units
Summary
Hospital-associated infections caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms are one of the biggest threats to public health in the EU/EEA region and globally. The major sources of healthcare-associated infection pathogens are endogenous microorganisms and those related to contaminated environmental surfaces [3]. The present work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a lastgeneration mobile (robotic) irradiation UV-C light device R2S on MDR microorganisms in inanimate surfaces and its translation to hospital disinfection. Methods: The efficacy of R2S system was evaluated in environmental high-touch surfaces of two separate outpatient rooms of Perugia Hospital in Italy. The static UV-C irradiation effect was investigated on both the bacterial growth of S. aureus, MRSA, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae KPC and photoreactivation. Results: In the environmental tests, the R2S system decreased the number of bacteria, molds, and yeasts of each high-touch spot surface (HTSs) compared with manual sanitization. Conclusions: The last-generation mobile R2S system is a more reliable sanitizing procedure compared with its manual counterpart
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