Healthcare Textiles Research Articles

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Penicillium amestolkiae elv609 Extract Treated Cotton Fabric for Diabetic Wound Care

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder which affects millions of population worldwide. Global estimates published in 2010 reported the world diabetic prevalence as 6.4%, affecting 285 million adults. Foot ulceration and wound infection are major forms of disabilities arising from diabetic diseases. This study was aimed to develop a natural antimicrobial finishing on medical grade textile that meets American Association of Textiles Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) standard. The textile samples were finished with the ethanolic extract of Penicillium amestolkiae elv609, an endophytic fungus isolated from Orthosiphon stamineus Benth (common name: cat’s whiskers). Endophyte is defined as microorganism that reside in the living plant tissue, without causing apparent disease symptom to the host. The antimicrobial efficacy of the ethanolic extract of P. minioluteum was tested on clinical pathogens isolated from diabetic wound. The extract exhibited significant inhibitory activity against 4 bacteria and 1 yeast with the minimal inhibitory concentration ranged from 6.25 to 12.5 mg/mL. The results indicate different susceptibility levels of the test microorganism to the ethanolic extract. However, the killing activity of the extract was concentration-dependent. The finished medical textile showed excellent antimicrobial efficacy on AATCC test assays. All the microbial cultures treated with the textile sample displayed a growth reduction of 99.9% on Hoheinstein Challenge Test. The wash durability of the finished textile was found good even after 50 washes with commercial detergent. Besides, the gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis showed that 6-octadecenoic acid and diethyl phthalate were the main bioactive constituents of the extract. In conclusion, the developed medical textile showed good antimicrobial efficacy on laboratory tests. This work can be extended to in vivo trials for developing healthcare textile products for antimicrobial applications.

Effectiveness of automated ultraviolet-C light for decontamination of textiles inoculated with Enterococcus faecium

Healthcare textiles are increasingly recognized as potential vehicles for transmission of hospital-acquired infections. This study tested the ability of an automated ultraviolet-C (UV-C) room disinfection device (Tru-D Smart UV-C) to decontaminate textiles inoculated with Enterococcus faecium in a clinical setting. Contaminated polycotton (50/50 polyester/cotton) swatches were distributed to predefined locations in a ward room and exposed to UV-C light. UV-C decontamination reduced E.faecium counts by a mean log10 reduction factor of 1.37 (all P=0.005, Wilcoxon signed rank test). UV-C decontamination may be a feasible adjunctive measure to conventional laundering to preserve the cleanliness of healthcare textiles in ward rooms.

Durable superhydrophobic and antimicrobial cotton fabrics prepared by electrostatic assembly of polyhexamethylene biguanide and subsequent hydrophobization

Growing evidence shows that healthcare textiles act as reservoirs of pathogens responsible for healthcare-associated infections. Fabrics fortified with antimicrobial and superhydrophobic properties are slowly emerging as an ideal weapon to tackle these infections, because of their bactericidal and fluid-repellent functionalities. In this work, such dual functional fabrics were developed by depositing polyhexamethylene biguanide on cotton fabrics, followed by inclusion of an epoxy alkane/epoxy cross-linker. A layer-by-layer technique was employed for the incorporation of polyhexamethylene biguanide in place of the conventional single layer ionic (carboxylate anions of cellulose and cationic polyhexamethylene biguanide) interaction. The role of the epoxy cross-linker is paramount as it achieves cross-linking of polyhexamethylene biguanide chains and also ensures the anchoring of epoxyalkane to polyhexamethylene biguanide chains through amine–epoxy reaction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of polyhexamethylene biguanide and epoxyhexadecane on the fabric surfaces. The fabric surfaces exhibited high static water contact angles (>150°) and lower water shedding angle (<20°). The fabrics demonstrated impressive antimicrobial performance against Escherichia coli bacterial species. Importantly, in a separate protocol, the fabrics also decreased attachment of Escherichia coli cells by 70%, thus confirming their potential in the prevention of biofilm formation. Both the antimicrobial property and superhydrophobicity were retained after 50 equivalent home laundering cycles.

Preparation of antibacterial cellulose with s‐triazine‐based quaternarized N‐halamine

ABSTRACTTo reduce the neutral salt used in the textile finishing with s‐triazine derivatives, a novel s‐triazine‐based quaternarized N‐halamine precursor was synthesized by two simple steps and characterized by H‐NMR and FT‐IR. This compound can be effectively coated onto cellulose by nucleophilic substitution process without neutral salt. The treated cellulose was rendered with powerful biocidal efficacy after transferring to an N‐halamine structure by exposing to dilute sodium hypochlorite solution through the synergistic antimicrobial effect quaternary ammonium salt and N‐halamine. The chlorinated samples could inactivate 6‐logs of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 within 1 min and 5 min, respectively. In addition, about 50% of oxidant chlorine remained after 50 washing cycles and 30 days storage, and all of the lost active chlorines in the N‐halamine molecules recovered after exposing to bleach solution. With these advantages, the as‐prepared antimicrobial fabrics will have potential application, especially in the medical and healthcare textiles. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44998.

The properties of bioactive substances obtained from seaweeds and their applications in textile industries

Technical textiles are one of the fastest emergent sectors of textile industries worldwide. Medical textiles and healthcare textiles are the most important development areas within technical textiles. A rapid advancement in the health care and hygiene sector together with an increase in health consciousness has made medical textiles an important field. In order to protect people against harmful pathogens, an antimicrobial textile has been developed and as a result, finishes began to evolve in recent years. A critical problem regarding healthcare and hygiene products chemical based synthetic antimicrobial finishes or coatings for infection control. To provide the potential solution and to avoid such critical problem, seaweeds may be used. Seaweeds are plant-like organisms that commonly live attached to rocks in the coastal areas. Seaweeds of brown, green and red colour contain major pigments such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins, beta carotene and lutein; these are used for the extraction of natural dyes in textiles. Marine macroalgae (seaweeds) is rich in bioactive compounds that could potentially be exploited as functional ingredients with potential medicinal, health care or pharmaceutical activities for both human and animal health applications. The present review discusses the research potential of different bioactive compounds and its salient features that are mainly responsible for the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties present in seaweeds and their applications in the area of medical textiles.

In vitro bactericidal effect of ultrasonically sol–gel-coated novel CuO/TiO2/PEG/cotton nanocomposite for wound care

Protection against bacterial contamination remains a demand for healthcare textiles such as wound dressings to reduce or eliminate hospital-acquired infections related to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We report herein a simple and straightforward in situ approach to deposit copper oxide and titanium oxide nanoparticles onto cotton fabric using a sonochemical-mediated sol–gel method. Modification of the cotton surface was achieved by incorporation of citric acid (CA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve the attachment of the nanoparticles and reduce the attachment of bacteria to the cotton surface, respectively. The resultant cotton fabric was used against Escherichia coli as a Gram-negative bacterium and Staphylococcus aureus as a Gram-positive bacterium in dark condition as an in vitro model for treatment of bacterial wound infection. The effects of different treatment parameters including duration and frequency of ultrasonic irradiation, surface modification with PEG and/or CA, and cotton chemical composition with different metal oxide molar ratios on the antibacterial activity of the treated cotton fabric were studied. All treated cotton fabrics showed antibacterial activity, with higher efficiency for those coated with CuO or CuO/TiO2 (1:1 molar ratio) among the single metal oxide and composite-modified cotton fibers, respectively. Our results show that such functionalized cotton fibers could actively fight the spread of bacterial infections by preventing bacterial adhesion, enabling more efficient bonding, and ultrasonically promoting generation of nanoparticles and their strong adhesion to the fabric surface.

Microbial Contamination of Some Health Care Textile Products in Al-Ahsa Hospitals, Kingdom Saudi Arabia

Microbial Contamination of Some Health Care Textile Products in Al-Ahsa Hospitals, Kingdom Saudi Arabia

Comfort and Functional Properties of Far-Infrared/Anion-Releasing Warp-Knitted Elastic Composite Fabrics Using Bamboo Charcoal, Copper, and Phase Change Materials

Elastic warp-knitted composite fabrics with far-infrared emissivity and an anion-releasing property were prepared using bamboo charcoal (BC), copper (Cu), and phase-change material (PCM). The functional composite fabric, which was composed of self-made complex yarns with various twisting degrees and material composition, were created using a rotor twister and ring-spinning technique. The fabric structure was diversified by the feeding modes of weft yarn into a crochet-knitting machine. The twist number of complex yarns was optimized by tensile tenacity, twist contraction, and hairiness, and analysis showed that twisting at 12 twists per inch produced the highest tensile tenacity and appropriate twist contraction and hairiness. Comfort evaluation showed that the elastic composite fabrics with BC weft yarns exhibited higher water–vapor transmission rate and air permeability, reaching 876 g/m2∙ day and 73.2 cm3/s/cm2, respectively. Three structures of composite fabric with various weft yarns had >0.85 ε far-infrared emissivity and 350–420 counts/cm3 anion amount. The prepared elastic warp-knitted fabrics can provide a comfortable, dry, and breathable environment to the wearer and can thus be applied as health-care textiles in the future.

The Changing Role of the Healthcare Environment

1. Amber Hogan Mitchell, DrPH, MPH, CPH 1. The International Safety Center, Apopka, FL 2. Rodney E. Rohde, PhD, MS, SV, SM (ASCP)CM, MBCM[⇑][1] 1. Clinical Laboratory Science Program, College of Health Professions, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 3. Pat Tille, PhD, MT(ASCP) 1. Medical Laboratory Science, College of Pharmacy, South Dakota State University, SD 4. Julie Reagan, PhD, JD, MPH 1. Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Statesboro, GA 5. Marilyn Felkner, DrPH, MT(ASCP) 1. Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease Branch (EAIDB), Infectious Disease Control Unit, Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Austin, TX 1. Address for Correspondence: Rodney E. Rohde, PhD, MS, SV, SM (ASCP)CM, MBCM, Professor & Chair, CLS Program; Associate Dean for Research, Clinical Laboratory Science Program, College of Health Professions, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-245-2562, 512-245-7860, rrohde{at}txstate.edu 1. Describe the role of the healthcare environment in its contribution to acquisition and transfer of microorganisms. 2. Discuss the role the environment has related to the risk of infection and illness in both patient and healthcare worker populations. 3. Summarize recently published scientific evidence related to transmission of microbes from environmental surfaces including textiles. 4. Explore laundering practices and procedures of healthcare textiles and uniforms. 5. Discuss new technologies and programs that can address reducing risk associated with contaminated environmental surfaces. INTRODUCTION The role of the healthcare environment and its contribution to acquisition and transfer of microorganisms that cause infection and illness in both patients and healthcare workers is not by any means straightforward. Considerations include potential contamination of hard surfaces like desks, sinks, beds, light switches, carts, walls, and floors, as well as porous surfaces like wheelchairs, bedding, linen, curtains, and upholstery. Historically the focus on managing the role of environmental variables was considered less critical because we knew less about the impact those surfaces had in infection prevention. Several factors are now monitored within healthcare settings that are considered environmental controls. One of the primary areas includes environmental surfaces. These have been categorized by the Spaulding Classification as “noncritical items” or those that do not come into contact with a patient's vascular system or body cavities, but rather simply by a brief or momentary touch from a patient or healthcare worker.1 Critical or semi-critical items, in contrast to environmental or touch surfaces, are medical devices that are either implanted into a patient like joints, stints or other devices used during medical or surgical procedures like scalpels, endoscopes or probes that are in contact with a patient for minutes, hours, weeks, or years. These items pose a higher risk than noncritical items because they come into direct contact with a patient's blood or body fluids. This year, the U.S. witnessed how improper cleaning and disinfection or sterilization or medical devices like endoscopes can result in serious patient illness and infection,… ABBREVIATIONS: ACHA – American College of Healthcare Architects, AHE - Association for the Healthcare Environment, CRE - carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDI – Clostridium difficile Infection, CFU – Colony Forming Units, EVS – Environmental Services, FDA - Food and Drug Administration, HCW – Healthcare Worker, HICPAC – Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, MDRO – Multiple Drug Resistant Organisms, MRSA – Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus , OR – Operating Room, OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration, PPE – Personal Protective Equipment, VRE - Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci 1. Describe the role of the healthcare environment in its contribution to acquisition and transfer of microorganisms. 2. Discuss the role the environment has related to the risk of infection and illness in both patient and healthcare worker populations. 3. Summarize recently published scientific evidence related to transmission of microbes from environmental surfaces including textiles. 4. Explore laundering practices and procedures of healthcare textiles and uniforms. 5. Discuss new technologies and programs that can address reducing risk associated with contaminated environmental surfaces. [1]: #corresp-1

Hospital Outbreak of Pulmonary and Cutaneous Zygomycosis due to Contaminated Linen Items From Substandard Laundry.

Healthcare laundry-related infection is rare, and pulmonary zygomycosis due to contaminated hospital linens has never been reported. We reported an outbreak investigation of zygomycosis in a university-affiliated teaching hospital. Air samplers, sponge swabs and Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) contact plates were used for environmental sampling. The fungal isolates from clinical and environmental samples were identified by morphology, MALDI-TOF MS, and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rRNA gene cluster sequencing. From 2 June 2015 to 18 July 2015, 6 immunosuppressed patients developed pulmonary (n = 4) and/or cutaneous (n = 3) infection by a spore-forming mold, Rhizopus microsporus, through direct inhalation and skin contact of contaminated linen items supplied by a designated laundry. Seventy (27.8%) of 252 freshly laundered clothing and 15 (3.4%) of 443 nonclothing laundered linen items (pillow case, bed sheet, draw sheet) were contaminated by R. microsporus, which was significantly higher than those from other hospital laundries (0%, n = 451; P < .001) supplying linen to hospitals with no cases of zygomycosis reported during the same period. The fungal isolates from patients and linens were phylogenetically related. In sum, 61% of environmental samples and 100% of air samples at the designated laundry were also positive for zygomycetes, suggesting heavy environmental contamination. RODAC contact plates revealed mean total viable bacteria counts of freshly laundered items (1028 ± 611 CFU/100 cm(2)) far exceeded the "hygienically clean" standard of 20 CFU/100 cm(2) set by the US healthcare textile certification requirement. Suboptimal conditions of washing, drying, and storage contributed to the massive linen contamination and the outbreak of zygomycosis.

Healthcare Laundry and Textiles in the United States: Review and Commentary on Contemporary Infection Prevention Issues.

Healthcare professionals have questions about the infection prevention effectiveness of contemporary laundry processes for healthcare textiles (HCTs). Current industrial laundry processes achieve microbial reductions via physical, chemical, and thermal actions, all of which result in producing hygienically clean HCTs. European researchers have demonstrated that oxidative laundry additives have sufficient potency to meet US Environmental Protection Agency benchmarks for sanitizers and disinfectants. Outbreaks of infectious diseases associated with laundered HCTs are extremely rare; only 12 such outbreaks have been reported worldwide in the past 43 years. Root cause analyses have identified inadvertent exposure of clean HCTs to environmental contamination (including but not limited to exposure to dust in storage areas) or a process failure during laundering. To date, patient-to-patient transmission of infection has not been associated with hygienically clean HCTs laundered in accordance with industry process standards. Occupationally acquired infection involved mishandling of soiled HCTs and failure to use personal protective equipment properly. Laboratory studies of antimicrobial treatments for HCTs demonstrate a wide range of activity from 1 to 7 log10 reduction of pathogens under various experimental conditions. Clinical studies are needed to evaluate potential use of these treatments for infection prevention. Microbiological testing of clean HCTs for certification purposes is now available in the United States. Key features (eg, microbial sampling strategy, numbers of textiles sampled) and justification of the testing are discussed.

Answers linked to Mitchell A, Spencer M, Edmiston C. Role of healthcare apparel and other healthcare textiles in the transmission of pathogens: a review of the literature. J Hosp Infect 2015;90:285–292.

Answers linked to Mitchell A, Spencer M, Edmiston C. Role of healthcare apparel and other healthcare textiles in the transmission of pathogens: a review of the literature. J Hosp Infect 2015;90:285–292.

Questions linked to: Mitchell A, Spencer M, Edmiston C. Role of healthcare apparel and other healthcare textiles in the transmission of pathogens: a review of the literature. J Hosp Infect 2015;90:285–292.

Questions linked to: Mitchell A, Spencer M, Edmiston C. Role of healthcare apparel and other healthcare textiles in the transmission of pathogens: a review of the literature. J Hosp Infect 2015;90:285–292.

Studies of Medicinal Herb Extracts for Controlling the Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei (Fungi) on Organic Cotton and Bamboo Knitted Fabric for Health Care Textiles

Studies of Medicinal Herb Extracts for Controlling the Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei (Fungi) on Organic Cotton and Bamboo Knitted Fabric for Health Care Textiles

Developments in Health Care and Medical Textiles - A Mini Review-1

3 Abstract: This review intends to highlight the developments in medical and Health care textiles, current perspective and key challenges regarding the advancements of non-toxic and eco-friendly solutions for health care. This study provides an appraisal on the innovative, intelligent and smart textile products related to Health care and medical textiles. This review also intends to highlight the current state of the technologies as well as f uture advances and enhancements potential of new textile materials in antimicrobial, surgical sutures and wound dressings. A discussion on classificatio n of antimicrobial textiles, types of surgica l sutures and wounds management make this review interdisciplinary.

Process optimization of Aerva lanata extract treated textile material for microbial resistance in healthcare textiles

The focus of the present research work is on evaluation of the antimicrobial finished textile material from the extract of Aerva lanata plant and optimization of process parameters to get the maximum antimicrobial efficiency. The microencapsulated extracts of Aerva lanata plant (leaves and stalk) using citric acid as a cross linking agent were applied on plain-woven cotton fabric by pad-dry-cure method. The Aerva lanata extract treated fabric samples were tested for antibacterial activity against bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli under Agar diffusion test and AATCC 100–2004. It is observed that the treated cotton fabric shows a clear microbial resistance of about 19–25 mm zone of inhibition in the agar diffusion test against the above-mentioned bacterial strains. The treated samples showed 80 % of reduction against Staphylococcus aureus and 70 % reduction against Escherichia coli as per AATCC (100–2004). Process parameters like concentration of extract, citric acid and curing temperature were optimized using Box-Behnken design for better performance of antimicrobial treated material. The optimum values of 21.14 % extract concentration, 2.39 % crosslinking agent and 101.2 °C curing temperature were determined.

Microencapsulation of Traditional Chinese Herbs—PentaHerbs extracts and potential application in healthcare textiles

In this work, Traditional Chinese Herbs (TCH)—PentaHerbs—was successfully microencapsulated in chitosan–sodium alginate (CSA) blend matrix using emulsion-chemical cross-linking method and the final product was characterised with regard to structure, surface morphology, particle size, in vitro drug release and skin toxicity by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser diffraction particle size analysis, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays respectively. Results showed that the microcapsules were in spherical form with diameter mostly in the range of 3–18μm and that the release performance of the microcapsules was influenced by pH value of phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The microcapsules had no toxic effects on cells and were successfully grafted onto the surface of cotton fabrics. These results indicated that PentaHerbs loaded CSA microcapsule may possess potential application in clinical treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD).

Hospital textiles, are they a possible vehicle for healthcare-associated infections?

Textiles are a common material in healthcare facilities; therefore it is important that they do not pose as a vehicle for the transfer of pathogens to patients or hospital workers. During the course of use hospital textiles become contaminated and laundering is necessary. Laundering of healthcare textiles is most commonly adequate, but in some instances, due to inappropriate disinfection or subsequent recontamination, the textiles may become a contaminated inanimate surface with the possibility to transfer pathogens. In this review we searched the published literature in order to answer four review questions: (1) Are there any reports on the survival of microorganisms on hospital textiles after laundering? (2) Are there any reports that indicate the presence of microorganisms on hospital textiles during use? (3) Are there any reports that microorganisms on textiles are a possible source infection of patients? (4) Are there any reports that microorganisms on textiles are a possible source infection for healthcare workers?

Reflux Extraction of Aloetic Anthraquinone

Using ethanol as solvent, reflux extraction of aloetic anthraquinone compounds was studied. The single-factor orthogonal experiments were conducted to optimize extraction process and the extractive was identified using infrared spectroscopy. The results suggested the best extraction conditions: ethanol concentration 70%, extraction temperature 333.15K, extraction time 25 min, bath ratio 1:1.5. This simple and effective extracting method is in accord with current energy-saving, environmental protecting trends, and its product has wide application prospects for preparation of health-care textiles.

THE GREENING OF HEALTHCARE: FABRICS USED IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

INTRODUCTION “There is no separation between environmental issues and health issues” (Smith and Lourie, 2010 a). Researchers from Environment Canada (Muir and Zegarac, 2001) estimate that North American healthcare costs and lost productivity linked to environmental factors total between $568 billion and $793 billion per year ($46 billion and $52 billion for Canada alone). These are staggering numbers and could be easily overlooked when various government budgets are examined as “silos” and the interconnectivity of the environment and health care costs are not considered. They are costs borne both financially and in terms of quality of life. The greening of healthcare textiles is a topic of great importance for the overall greening of healthcare spaces due to the large number of chemicals used in the production of fabrics. Both patients and healthcare workers are exposed to these chemicals through dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion. Hospital “green” teams and purchasing agents need to be aware of ho...