Abstract
Nosocomial infections cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the pathogenic organisms responsible for such infections can develop resistance to antimicrobial agents. Understanding the activity of disinfectants against clinical and environmental bacterial isolates is therefore crucial. We analysed the in vitro activity of five antimicrobial products (phenolic compounds, didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC), sodium hypochlorite, isopropanol + ammonium compounds (IACs), hydrogen peroxide) against 187 bacterial strains comprising clinical isolates, as well as 30 environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from hospital water samples. Disk diffusion assays were employed to assess antimicrobial activity. Hydrogen peroxide was significantly more active (p < 0.0001) than the other disinfectants against all P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus strains. It was also the only disinfectant with activity against both clinical and environmental strains of P. aeruginosa. DDAC and IAC-based disinfectants were ineffective against Gram-negative strains, but showed significant activity (particularly IACs, p < 0.0001) against the Gram-positive strains. Compared with IACs, DDAC was significantly more active on E. faecalis and less active on S. aureus (p < 0.0001). Sodium hypochlorite and phenol compounds, by contrast, were inactive against all bacterial strains. The development of disinfection procedures that are effective against all microorganisms is essential for limiting the spread of nosocomial infections.
Highlights
Disinfection procedures represent the main type of intervention in hospital settings against pathogenic or potentially pathogenic microorganisms [1,2] and aim to prevent or reduce complications due to infectious organisms
The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antibacterial activity of five disinfectants most frequently used in Apulian hospital practice, to assess the importance of choosing disinfection methods to be applied in healthcare facilities
A total of 187 Bacteria belonging to various species
Summary
Disinfection procedures represent the main type of intervention in hospital settings against pathogenic or potentially pathogenic microorganisms [1,2] and aim to prevent or reduce complications due to infectious organisms. In particular, is a public health problem, as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide [3]. HAIs develop during hospitalization and a range of different microorganisms are frequently isolated [4]. Including multidrug-resistant bacteria, such as vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Clostridium difficile, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp. and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [5,6,7]. S. aureus and P. aeruginosa are hazardous microorganisms, able to grow on hard non-porous surfaces (e.g., metal pipes and floor drains) and develop biofilms that protect them from adverse. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 1895; doi:10.3390/ijerph16111895 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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