Sporicidal activity of two disinfectants against Clostridium difficile spores

L J Wheeldon, T Worthington, A C Hilton, P A Lambert, T S J Elliott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The sporicidal activity of an odour-free peracetic acid-based disinfectant (Wofasteril®) and a widely-used dichloroisocyanurate preparation (Chlor-clean®) was assessed against spores of the hyper-virulent strain of Clostridium difficile (ribotype 027), in the presence and absence of organic matter. In environmentally clean conditions, dichloroisocyanurate achieved a >3 log10 reduction in 3 minutes, but a minimum contact time of 9 minutes was required to reduce the viable spore load to below detection levels. Peracetic acid achieved a >3 log10 reduction in 30 minutes and was overall significantly less effective (P<0.05). However, in the presence of organic matter - which reflects the true clinical environment - there was no significant difference between the sporicidal activity of dichloroisocyanurate and peracetic acid over a 60-minute period (P=0.188). Given the greater occupational health hazards generally associated with chlorine-releasing agents, odour-free peracetic acid-based disinfectants may offer a suitable alternative for environmental disinfection.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)316-320
Number of pages5
JournalBritish Journal of Nursing
Volume17
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Mar 2008

Keywords

  • Acetic Acid
  • Clostridium difficile
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Disinfectants
  • Disinfection
  • Drug Combinations
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Occupational Health
  • Peracetic Acid
  • Ribotyping
  • Spores, Bacterial
  • Time Factors
  • Triazines

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