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Activity of Three Disinfectants and Acidified Nitrite Against Clostridium difficile Spores

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Marlene Wullt ,
Inga Odenholt  and
Mats Walder
Marlene Wullt*
Affiliation:
Departments of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
Inga Odenholt
Affiliation:
Departments of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
Mats Walder
Affiliation:
Departments of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
*
Department of Infectious Diseases, Malmö University Hospital, SE- 205 02 Malmö, Sweden
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Abstract

Objective:

To identify environmentally safe, rapidly acting agents for killing spores of Clostridium difficile in the hospital environment.

Design:

Three classic disinfectants (2% glutaraldehyde, 1.6% peracetyl ions, and 70% isopropanol) and acidified nitrite were compared for activity against C. difficile spores. Four strains of C. difficile belonging to different serogroups were tested using a dilution–neutralization method according to preliminary European Standard prEN 14347. For peracetyl ions and acidified nitrite, the subjective cleaning effect and the sporicidal activity was also tested in the presence of organic load.

Results:

Peracetyl ions were highly sporicidal and yielded a minimum 4 log10 reduction of germinating spores already at short exposure times, independent of organic load conditions. Isopropanol 70% showed low or no inactivation at all exposure times, whereas glutaraldehyde and acidified nitrite each resulted in an increasing inactivation factor (IF) over time, from an IF greater than 1.4 at 5 minutes of exposure time to greater than 4.1 at 30 minutes. Soiling conditions did not influence the effect of acidified nitrite. There was no difference in the IF among the 4 strains tested for any of the investigated agents. Acidified nitrite demonstrated a good subjective cleaning effect and peracetyl ions demonstrated a satisfactory effect.

Conclusions:

Cidal activity was shown against C. difficile spores by glutaraldehyde, peracetyl ions, and acidified nitrite. As acidified nitrite and peracetyl ions are considered to be environmentally safe chemicals, these agents seem well suited for the disinfection of C. difficile spores in the hospital environment.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 24 , Issue 10 , October 2003 , pp. 765 - 768
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2003

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