Evaluation of Sponge Wipe Surface Sampling for Collection of Potential Surrogates for Non-spore-forming Bioterrorism Agents.

Abstract

Evaluate the efficacy of sponge wipe sampling at recovering potential bacterial surrogates for Category A and B non-spore-forming bacterial bioterrorism agents from hard nonporous surfaces. A literature survey identified seven nonpathogenic bacteria as potential surrogates for selected Category A and B non-spore-forming bacterial agents. Small (2- by 4-cm) and large (35.6- by 35.6-cm) coupons made from either stainless steel, plastic, or glass, were inoculated and utilized to assess persistence, and surface sampling efficiency, respectively. Three commercially available premoistened sponge wipes (3M™, Sani-Stick®, and Solar-Cult®) were evaluated. Mean recoveries from persistence testing indicated that three microorganisms (Yersinia ruckeri, Escherichia coli, and Serratia marcescens) demonstrated sufficient persistence across all tested material types. Sampling of large inoculated (≥ 107 CFU per sample) coupons resulted in mean recoveries ranging from 6.6 to 3.4 Log10 CFU per sample. Mean recoveries for the Solar-Cult®, 3M™ sponge wipes, and Sani-Sticks® across all test organisms and all material types were ≥ 5.7, ≥ 3.7, and ≥ 3.4 Log10 CFU per sample, respectively. Mean recoveries for glass, stainless steel, and ABS plastic across all test organisms and all sponge types were ≥ 3.8, ≥ 3.7, and ≥ 3.4 Log10 CFU per sample, respectively. Recovery results suggest that sponge wipe sampling can effectively be used to recover non-spore-forming bacterial cells from hard, nonporous surfaces such as stainless steel, ABS plastic, and glass.