Susceptibility of Clostridium sporogenes Spores to Selected Reference Substances and Disinfectants

Research on the susceptibility of the spores of anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium sporogenes or Clostridioides difficile is vital for assessing the sporicidal activity of disinfectants. The diverse susceptibility of anaerobic bacteria spores may lead to different disinfection parameters being determined by laboratories that prepare spore suspensions to test sporicidal effectiveness. The tests were performed using the suspension method according to PN-EN 13704:2018-09. In order to assess the susceptibility of the C. sporogenes spores, the criterion established for the C. difficile ribotype 027 spores was used in accordance with PN‑EN 17126:2019-01. The susceptibility of the C. sporogenes spores to glutardialdehyde corresponded to the susceptibility ranges established for the C. difficile ribotype 027 spores. The C. sporogenes spore suspension was susceptible to low concentrations of peracetic acid (0.01%). A disinfectant containing peracetic acid as the active substance showed high sporicidal activity at a low concentration (1%), a short contact time (15 minutes), and a high organic load (3.0 g/l bovine albumin + 3.0 ml/l sheep erythrocytes), as compared to a disinfectant with glutardialdehyde, which was sporicidal at a higher concentration (2.5%), at a longer contact time (60 minutes) and lower organic conditions (3.0 g/l bovine albumin). There is a need to define the minimum susceptibility criteria for the C. sporogenes spores to the reference substances most often found in disinfectants with sporicidal activity. Excessive susceptibility of the C. sporogenes spores to reference substances may result in low-performance parameters of disinfection products with sporicidal activity and lead to ineffective disinfection in practice.