[Methods for microbiological control of textiles]

Our laboratory is requested more and more by the establishments of health and the industrial laundries for the microbiological realization of control on the textile articles after completion. We checked the effectiveness of the techniques of the bacteriol prints or rodac and the bacterial extraction after maceration for the realization of these controls. The output of extraction of the bacteriol prints applied to woven material samples sterilized and then artificially contaminated by a titrated Staphylococcal suspension is lower than 1%. The technique recommended and largely used for the study in particular of the contamination of the blouses of doctor in the establishments of health thus does not appear to be relevant. We propose for the quality control of the linen a technique of maceration then extraction by the ultra sounds whose output is evaluated to 62% which requires to sacrifice the controled textile article. The choice of the bacteriological techniques as controls ultimate of a procedure must be carried out carefully to meet the needs for quality. Conclusions, when with the effectiveness of a process, deduced from results obtained by a bad method could be wrongfully reassuring.