Persistence of nosocomial bacteria on 2 biocidal fabrics based on silver under conditions of high relative humidity.

BACKGROUND

The survival of pathogenic microorganism on fabrics in the health care environment has a important role in nosocomial infections. The use of biocidal fabrics and surfaces could reduce the prevalence of the microorganisms in the hospital environment.

METHODS

In this study, the persistence of nosocomial bacteria on 2 fabrics containing biocidal fibers (BF) in the long term following desiccation and subsequent storage was examined at 40% and 90% relative humidity (RH).

RESULTS

Very few strains survived more than 7 days at 40% RH on fabrics containing 67% BF, and only strains of Acinetobacter baumanii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa survived on fabric containing 100% BF. None of the strains tested survived 14 days on the 2 fabrics, 67% or 100% BF, under these environmental conditions. In contrast, at higher RH (∼90%), most of the strains tested showed prolonged survival on both fabrics, and all strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter aerogenes, and A baumannii survived for more than 14 days; however, in a Petri dish, most of the microorganisms tested showed a higher survival even at 28 days. The gram-positive cocci and A baumannii were the most persistent bacteria on the Petri dish.

CONCLUSIONS

This study emphasizes the effect of RH on the survival of nosocomial bacteria on 2 commercially available fabrics containing biocide. Evidence of the clinical efficacy of these BF-containing fabrics is lacking.