Tests for the antibacterial activity of surgical glove material

In-vitro and in-vivo models for testing the antibacterial activity of glove materials are described. The models were tested using four types of material: latex containing residual accelerator, latex treated by solvent-extraction to remove accelerator, material from hypo-allergenic accelerator-free gloves, and latex coated with quaternary ammonium compounds. In-vitro tests revealed two distinct types of antibacterial activity, one related to the accelerator which was slow-acting, and not neutralizable, and a second faster-acting neutralizable activity due to the quaternary ammonium compounds. The antiseptic coated material also showed antibacterial activity on human skin.