Background
Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant problem in hospitals, and
environmental surfaces have been implicated as a source of HAIs in the hospital environment.
Furthermore, Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria can persist on dry environmental
surfaces for as long as several months. Poorly cleaned surfaces may serve as vehicles
for microbes, which may then be transferred to patients.
Methods
Cotton and microfiber towels were both tested for their abilities to bind quaternary
ammonium compounds (QACs). The towels were exposed to 3 commercially available disinfectants
for 0.5, 30, and 180 minutes. Germicidal spray tests (GSTs) were performed for all
towel eluates in accordance with the AOAC International method 961.02. Cotton towel
eluates were analyzed for QAC concentration using high-performance liquid chromatography.
Results
QAC concentrations were reduced by up to 85.3% after exposure to cotton towels, resulting
in failure of the disinfectants exposed to cotton towels in 96% of the GSTs.
Conclusion
The use of cotton towels with QAC-based cleansers should be reconsidered, particularly
in hospitals where effective cleaning of the patient environment is needed to reduce
the risk of HAIs.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 29, 2013
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: K.E., D.A., I.W., and D.K. are employed by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. L.S. and C.G. received funding from Kimberly-Clark Corporation for this work.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
