Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Antimicrobial Characterization of Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Applications
Published on: August 4, 2018
Self-disinfecting surfaces and activity against Staphyloccocus aureus ATCC 6538 under real-life conditions
C Brühwasser1, H Heinrich2, C Lass-Flörl1
1Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Department of Hygiene, Microbiology and Public Health, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Invasive Fungal Infections, Innsbruck, Austria.
Abstract:
Environmental surface contamination provides a potential reservoir for pathogens to cause infections. As such, self-disinfecting surfaces have been developed to possibly reduce exogenous transmission. Five different self-disinfecting surfaces were evaluated for activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 under real-life conditions using the dry inoculation method. Various antimicrobial effects were detected. However, following disinfection with alcoholic wipes, these effects disappeared. Further development is necessary to produce self-disinfecting surfaces that are stable in the presence of hospital disinfectants, as it is impossible to guarantee that self-disinfecting surfaces in healthcare settings will not be exposed to disinfectants.
Related Concept Videos
Antimicrobial Effectiveness
Surface Membrane Barriers
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Hand hygiene
Hand washing...
Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection
Cleaning
The cleaning process usually involves using water with detergents or enzymatic cleaner and removing foreign material from objects and surfaces, including organic material such as body fluids or inorganic material like soil. Cleaning is performed before high-level disinfection and sterilization because foreign materials on the cover of the devices interfere with process...

