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Real-life and in vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial effectiveness of a polycationic fabric coating
Alejandro Gómez-Mejia1, Jessica Franz1, Mirjam Faes Hesse1
1Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Background:
Inanimate surfaces, including hospital textiles, are increasingly recognized to play a role in pathogen transmission. We aimed to evaluate a polycationic antimicrobial fabric coating in reducing bacterial burden in vitro and in hospital settings.
Methods:
Cotton fabric patches (coated and uncoated) were exposed to bacterial contamination: (1) in vitro, by dry contamination with Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli, and (2) in clinical settings. Recovery was performed by 2 methods: Swabbing (method 1) and sonicating (method 2). Colony forming units (CFU) per paired coated and uncoated fabric patch were compared.
Results:
From the field tests, 48 pairs of fabric patches were analyzed. With method 1, the median bacterial CFU per fabric patch was 16 CFU on uncoated fabric and 39 CFU on coated fabric. With method 2, the median bacterial CFU per fabric patch was 132 CFU on uncoated fabric, and 0 CFU on coated fabric. In vitro assessment with 24 paired patches confirmed these findings.
Conclusions:
Polymer-coated fabric effectively lowered bacterial burden when recovery was performed by liquid extraction, while effectiveness could not be demonstrated when bacteria were recovered with swabs. Further investigations are required to explore potential implications for effectiveness evaluation in clinical settings.
Insights
A new antimicrobial fabric coating significantly reduced bacteria on hospital textiles in lab tests and clinical settings. Effectiveness depended on the bacterial recovery method, highlighting the need for optimized evaluation techniques.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Materials Science
- Infection Control
Background:
- Inanimate surfaces, including hospital textiles, contribute to pathogen transmission.
- Antimicrobial fabric coatings are being explored to mitigate this risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a polycationic antimicrobial fabric coating's efficacy in reducing bacterial load.
- To compare effectiveness in vitro and in clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- Cotton fabric patches, coated and uncoated, were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli.
- Bacterial recovery was performed using swabbing (method 1) and sonicating (method 2).
- Colony forming units (CFU) were compared between coated and uncoated patches.
Main Results:
- Sonication (method 2) showed a significant reduction in bacterial CFU on coated fabric (median 0 CFU) compared to uncoated (median 132 CFU).
- Swabbing (method 1) yielded higher CFU on coated fabric (median 39 CFU) than uncoated (median 16 CFU).
- In vitro tests confirmed the findings observed in clinical settings.
Conclusions:
- The polymer-coated fabric effectively reduced bacterial burden when using liquid extraction (sonication).
- Effectiveness was not demonstrated with swabbing, indicating method-dependent results.
- Further research is needed to optimize evaluation methods for clinical settings.
