Abstract
Controlling infections has become one of the biggest problems in the world, whether measured in lives lost or money spent. This is worsening as pathogens continue becoming resistant to therapeutics. Antimicrobial surfaces are one strategy being investigated in an attempt to decrease the spread of infections through the most common route of transmission: surfaces, including hands. Regulators have chosen two hours as the time point at which efficacy should be measured. The objectives of this study were to characterize the new antimicrobial surface compressed sodium chloride (CSC) so that its action may be understood at timepoints more relevant to real-time infection control, under two minutes; to develop a sensitive method to test efficacy at short time points; and to investigate antifungal properties for the first time. E. coli and Candida auris are added to surfaces, and the surfaces are monitored by contact plate, or by washing into collection vats. An improved method of testing antimicrobial efficacy is reported. Antimicrobial CSC achieves at least 99.9% reduction of E. coli in the first two minutes of contact, and at least 99% reduction of C. auris in one minute.
Highlights
Controlling infections has become one of the biggest problems in the world, whether measured in lives lost or money spent
A suspension of E. coli containing approx. 150,000 colony forming units (CFUs) was added to stainless steel, antimicrobial copper, and antimicrobial compressed sodium chloride (CSC) surfaces and spread with a sterile spreader
After 5 s, the stainless steel and antimicrobial copper alloy surface transferred an uncountable lawn of bacteria, while the CSC surface transferred very few CFUs (Fig. 1)
Summary
Controlling infections has become one of the biggest problems in the world, whether measured in lives lost or money spent This is worsening as pathogens continue becoming resistant to therapeutics. Most evidence about the routes of transmission for pathogens, including those that can spread through the air via droplets, suggests that the most important route of transmission is via our hands and contaminated surfaces (rather than through aerosolized particles). This can happen either through direct physical contact or through exposure of these surfaces to droplets produced by a cough or sneeze[11]. This antimicrobial CSC was demonstrated to eliminate the AMR bacteria
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