Modelling vaporised hydrogen peroxide efficacy against mono-species biofilms.
F WatsonCharles W KeevilSandra A WilksJ ChewinsPublished in: Scientific reports (2018)
This pilot study investigates a novel approach towards efficacy testing of antimicrobial cleaning agents; focusing primarily on hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV). Contaminated surfaces are recognised modes of pathogen transmission within healthcare environments and increase the risk of pathogen acquisition in newly admitted patients. Studies have shown these pathogens can survive on surfaces for extended periods of time in spite of cleaning. This resilience is characteristic of biofilm formation and recent publications have identified their presence in hospitals. In this study, biofilm models comprised of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) were generated using a drip flow reactor and exposed to HPV decontamination. The MDROs included Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Upon exposure, samples were periodically removed and enumerated to generate kill curves for each species. Consequently revealing any inherent resistances; such as catalase-producing organisms which expressed reduced susceptibility. Epifluorescence microscopy revealed an abundance of viable and non-viable microcolonies before and after decontamination, respectively. Greater than 6-Log10 reduction was achieved within a 100 minutes exposure time. This pilot study puts forward a potential methodology for testing antimicrobial agents against biofilms and supports the efficacy of HPV.
Keyphrases
- biofilm formation
- hydrogen peroxide
- multidrug resistant
- candida albicans
- staphylococcus aureus
- acinetobacter baumannii
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- gram negative
- klebsiella pneumoniae
- drug resistant
- healthcare
- nitric oxide
- escherichia coli
- cystic fibrosis
- high grade
- end stage renal disease
- newly diagnosed
- climate change
- methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus
- patient reported outcomes
- optical coherence tomography
- chronic kidney disease
- drinking water
- peritoneal dialysis
- cervical cancer screening
- high resolution
- human health
- prognostic factors
- mass spectrometry
- antibiotic resistance genes
- genetic diversity
- single molecule
- risk assessment