Evaluation of microbicidal activity of a new disinfectant: Sterilox 2500 against Clostridium difficile spores, Helicobacter pylori, vancomycin resistant Enterococcus species, Candida albicans and several Mycobacterium species.

The microbicidal activity of a new disinfectant Sterilox, a super-oxidized water, containing a mixture of oxidizing substances, was tested against Clostridium difficile spores, Helicobacter pylori, vancomycin resistant Enterococcus species, Candida albicans and several Mycobacterium species using membrane filters. All tests were performed in duplicate with and without added horse serum at 1% and 5% v/v. Distilled water, 0.35% peracetic acid (Nu-Cidex) and 2% glutaraldehyde were included as controls. Sterilox: spore suspension (9:1 v/v) achieved log10 kill of > 5 with 5% horse serum in 2 min against H. pylori, vancomycin resistant Enterococcus species, C. albicans and four atypical Mycobacterium species: M. avium, M. chelonei, M. xenopi and M. smegmatis. Sporicidal activity of Sterilox against Clostridium difficile was markedly diminished in the presence of 5% horse serum. Sterilox may be an effective alternative in endoscopy units, as it is a potent microbicidal agent and the manufacturer claims it is not corrosive to metal and is nontoxic to biological tissues.