![]() ![]() The effectiveness and commercial viability of such gas based decontamination strategies have yet to be fully established 22. Gaseous decontamination however requires rooms to be sealed for effective treatment, and the pre-cleansing of all surfaces. Sporicidal fumigation using gaseous hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide may also be an effective strategy for C. difficile eradication efficiency is nevertheless similar to that of standard National Health Service approved cleaning procedures 21. Difficil-S ® (Clinimax Ltd, UK) is a chlorine dioxide based sporicidal product which has found application in a number of healthcare settings, C. However, UK COSHH regulations restrict occupational exposure to chlorine to 0.5ppm 20. Chlorine based cleaning reagents, with a minimum of 1000ppm available chlorine, are capable of decontaminating fomites harbouring C. difficile spores 17, including alcohol based hand sanitation 18. Many studies have shown that commonly used methods for hospital cleaning are not effective for the decontamination of C. In Northern Ireland the most common ribotype found to be causing infection in humans is ribotype 078 15.įor decontamination of clinical areas, various methods are applied, including chemical disinfection, sporicidal fumigants and antimicrobial surfaces 16. difficile can be characterised into five genetically distinct clades, all of which contain toxigenic strains capable of causing infection 13, 14. difficile have been detected in humans 11, with prevalence of different ribotypes varying between countries, and regionally 12. More than three hundred different ribotypes of C. difficile infection they are isolated, when possible, from other patients and facilities in an attempt to curb transmission via spores to other individuals in the hospital, particularly those on antibiotics 10. When an individual is diagnosed with a toxigenic C. Certain factors increase the risk of CDI such as use of broad-spectrum antibiotics 8, old age and hospitalization 9. difficile infection (CDI) can range from mild to severe diarrhoea to pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon, colonic perforation and death 6, 7. difficile overtaking methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the leading cause of hospital acquired infection globally 5. ![]() Transmission from fomites within healthcare settings has led to C. difficile spores have been found to remain on curtains, textiles, protective clothing and surfaces within hospital wards 4. ![]() Their environmental stability and resistance allow them to persist until conditions become favourable for germination, for example, in the human gut. difficile are extremely robust and can remain viable for months, even in very harsh conditions such as high temperatures 2 and biocidal challenge 3. ![]() difficile spores, and highlights factors that can affect sporicidal activity.Ĭlostridium difficile is a Gram positive, spore forming, anaerobic bacterium and the leading cause of colitis and antibiotic associated diarrhoea in the developed world 1. This study demonstrates that cold atmospheric plasma can effectively inactivate C. Environmental factors affected plasma activity, with dry spores without the presence of organic matter being most susceptible. Inactivation of a ribotype 078 strain, the most prevalent clinical type seen in Northern Ireland, was further assessed with respect to surface decontamination, pH, and hydrogen peroxide concentration. However all tested strains displayed a ~3 log reduction in viable spore counts after plasma treatment for 5 minutes. Strain R20291, representing the globally epidemic ribotype 027 type, was the most resistant. Strains from different clades displayed varying resistance to cold plasma. Factors affecting sporicidal efficacy, including percentage of oxygen in the helium carrier gas admixture, and the effect on spores from different strains representing the five evolutionary C. difficile spores to a novel, non-thermal atmospheric pressure gas plasma was assessed. difficile are robust and can remain viable for months, leading to prolonged healthcare-associated outbreaks with high mortality. Clostridium difficile is a spore forming bacterium and the leading cause of colitis and antibiotic associated diarrhoea in the developed world. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |