Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2024 Sep 29;13(1):114. doi: 10.1186/s13756-024-01473-7.
Aerosols generated during toilet flushing are a potential source for transmission of viral and bacterial pathogens in bathrooms. However, manual decontamination of bathrooms after each use is not feasible.
We tested the efficacy of a wall-mounted far ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light technology that only delivers far UV-C when people are not present for decontamination of surfaces and aerosolized viral particles in an unoccupied hospital bathroom. A quantitative disk carrier test method was used to test efficacy against organisms on steel disk carriers placed in 9 sites in the bathroom with an exposure time of 45 min and 2 h; Clostridioides difficile spores were also exposed for 24 h. Efficacy against aerosolized bacteriophage MS2 was tested with a 45-minute exposure.
The far UV-C technology reduced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Candida auris, and bacteriophage MS2 on steel disk carriers by ≥ 1.2 log (range, 1.2 to 4.2 log) at all test sites after 2 h of exposure. The technology reduced C. difficile spores by < 1 log after 2 h exposure, but 4 of 9 test locations had ≥ 2 log reductions after 24 h exposure. Aerosolized bacteriophage MS2 was reduced by 4 log plaque-forming units in 45 min.
The far UV-C light technology could potentially be useful for automated decontamination of air and surfaces in bathrooms in healthcare and community settings.
厕所冲水时产生的气溶胶是浴室中病毒和细菌病原体传播的潜在来源。然而，每次使用后对浴室进行手动消毒是不可行的。
我们测试了一种壁挂式远紫外线-C（UV-C）灯技术的功效，该技术仅在无人时才会释放远 UV-C，用于对无人使用的医院浴室中的表面和雾化病毒颗粒进行消毒。使用定量圆盘载体测试方法，在浴室的 9 个位置测试对放置在钢盘载体上的微生物的功效，暴露时间为 45 分钟和 2 小时；还对艰难梭菌孢子进行了 24 小时暴露。使用 45 分钟的暴露时间测试对雾化噬菌体 MS2 的功效。
远紫外线-C 技术可将耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）、万古霉素耐药肠球菌（VRE）、耳念珠菌和噬菌体 MS2 在钢盘载体上减少≥1.2 对数（范围为 1.2 至 4.2 对数），在所有测试点暴露 2 小时后。该技术在 2 小时暴露后将艰难梭菌孢子减少了<1 对数，但在 24 小时暴露后，9 个测试点中有 4 个点减少了≥2 对数。雾化噬菌体 MS2 在 45 分钟内减少了 4 对数的噬菌斑形成单位。
远紫外线-C 灯技术可能对医疗保健和社区环境中浴室空气和表面的自动化消毒有用。
