Efficacy of glove combinations in reducing cell culture infection after glove puncture with needles contaminated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of various latex and treated glove combinations in reducing the frequency of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of tissue culture cells after puncture by surgical needles contaminated with infectious human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).

DESIGN

One, two, or three layers of sterile latex glove material, or two latex layers with intermediate cotton or Kevlar (with or without the virucidal compound nonoxynol-9) were used to cover 24-well cell culture dishes containing MT2 cells in cell culture medium. Surgical needles wet with cell culture medium containing HIV-1 (HTLV IIIA strain) were passed through the glove materials into the culture medium in the wells of the culture dishes. The culture medium in each well was then assayed biweekly for HIV-1 p24 antigen as a test for infection of cells in the well.

RESULTS

The rate of HIV-1 infection of cell cultures after glove puncture was greater than 90% with a single latex surgical glove barrier, 23% to 60% with double or triple layers of latex gloves, less than 8% with an intermediate cotton glove impregnated with 4% nonoxynol-9, 6% with an intermediate Kevlar glove, and 0% with an intermediate Kevlar glove impregnated with nonoxynol-9.

CONCLUSIONS

An intermediate glove of Kevlar or of Kevlar or cotton impregnated with virucidal compound nonoxynol-9 between standard latex gloves may improve surgical glove safety, compared with latex gloves alone with respect to needlestick transmission of HIV-1. The experimental model used may permit rapid investigation of other glove systems as barriers to the transfer of infectious agents through gloves by needlestick.