Background
Bacterial infections continue to pose a threat to health in many institutional and
communal settings, and epidemics are frequent. Current control measures are clearly
inadequate; thus, there is a need for a simple, effective, and safe way to decontaminate
surfaces.
Methods
We evaluated the efficacy of a portable ozone-generating machine, equipped with a
catalytic converter and an accessory humidifier, to inactivate 15 different species
of medically important bacteria.
Results
An ozone dosage of 25 ppm for 20 minutes, with a short burst of humidity in excess
of 90% relative humidity, was able to inactivate more than 3 log10 colony-forming units of most of the bacteria, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Clostridium difficile, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, in both in a laboratory test system and simulated field conditions. In many cases,
complete eradication was achieved. Dried and wet samples were equally vulnerable to
the ozone. Inactivation of bacterial samples dried onto soft surfaces (eg, fabric,
cotton, filter paper) were comparable with that observed for samples on plastic.
Conclusions
The ozone generator can provide a valuable decontamination tool for the removal of
bacteria in many institutional and communal settings, including hospitals and other
health care institutions.
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© 2008 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
