An assessment of the fungicidal activity of antimicrobial agents used for hard-surface and skin disinfection.

Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Aspergillus niger conidia and Candida albicans blastospores were employed to assess the fungicidal activity of a range of antimicrobial agents used for hard-surface and skin disinfection in hospitals in the U.K. The antimicrobials were tested at in-use concentrations. The time taken to give greater than 99.99% kill was determined by estimating the number of survivors (cfu/ml) at a variety of time intervals after exposure of washed suspensions of spores to the disinfectants. At equivalent times the recovery in the broth was investigated. An alcoholic solution of chlorhexidine gluconate (0.02%) (Hibitane), iodine in Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS) and a phenolic (0.36% phenols, Stericol) produced a 99.99% kill of all species within 2 min, alcoholic and aqueous solutions (10%) of povidone-iodine (Betadine) and hypochlorite (0.2%) required 10 min to give a 99.99% kill of all species tested. The preparations which contained cetrimide (Cetavlon), aqueous solutions of chlorhexidine gluconate (Hibitane) and combinations of these (Savloclens and Savlodil) were only slowly fungicidal, particularly against T. mentagrophytes spores, which was the most resistant of the three fungal species to disinfection.