Antimicrobial efficacy of alcohol-based hand gels.

In recent years, several commercial alcohol-based hand gels have appeared on the market to improve the hand-cleansing compliance of healthcare workers. Although the antimicrobial efficacy of these products has been reported in different countries, few studies have investigated this subject in Brazil. In this study, we assessed the antimicrobial efficacy of 12 alcohol-based hand gels produced in Brazil, containing 70% w/w or v/v ethyl alcohol as the active ingredient, according to the European Standard EN 1500 (EN 1500). The following alcohol gels were tested: Hand Gel, Voga Gel, Solumax Solugel, Doctor Clean, Rio Gel, Clear Gel, Sevengel, Hand CHC, Gel Bac, WBL-50 Gel, Sanigel and Soft Care Gel. In addition, 70% w/w ethyl alcohol and three alcohol-based hand rubs (Sterillium, Sterillium Gel, and Spitaderm), commonly used in Europe and effective according to EN 1500, were also tested. All the products tested, except for two, were approved by the EN 1500 test protocol with a 60s application. The results confirmed the antimicrobial efficacy of the majority of the alcohol gels produced in Brazil for hand hygiene of healthcare workers.

Effectiveness of hand-cleansing agents for removing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from contaminated hands.

OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of hand-cleansing agents in removing a hospital strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from artificially contaminated hands of five volunteers was studied. DESIGN: The products used were plain liquid soap, ethyl alcohol 70% (by weight), 10% povidone-iodine liquid soap (PVP-I), and chlorhexidine gluconate (4%) detergent. The experiments were performed using a Latin square statistical design, with two 5x4 randomized blocks. The removal rates of S aureus cells from contaminated fingertips were estimated by analysis of variance, the response variable being the log10 reduction factor (RF), ie, log10 of the initial counts minus log10 of the final counts. In the first and second blocks, the fingertips of the volunteers were contaminated in mean with 3.76 log10 colony-forming units ([CFU] light-contamination hand) and 6.82 log10 CFU (heavy-contamination hand), respectively. RESULTS: In the first block, there were significant differences between treatments (P<.05). The 10% PVP-I (RF, 3.76) and 70% ethyl alcohol (RF, 3.51) had significantly higher removal rates than plain liquid soap (RF, 1.96) and 4% chlorhexidine (RF, 1.91). In the second block, 10% PVP-I (RF, 4.39) and 70% ethyl alcohol (RF, 3.27) also were significantly more effective than plain liquid soap (RF, 1.77) and 4% chlorhexidine (RF, 1.37; P<.05). Plain liquid soap was significantly more effective than chlorhexidine (4%) detergent. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that 10% PVP-I and 70% ethyl alcohol may be the most effective hand-cleansing agents for removing methicillin-resistant S aureus strain from either lightly or heavily contaminated hands.

Effectiveness of hand-cleansing agents for removing Acinetobacter baumannii strain from contaminated hands.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of hand-cleansing agents (plain liquid soap, 70% ethyl alcohol, 10% povidone-iodine, and 4% chlorhexidine gluconate) for removing a hospital strain of Acinetobacter baumannii from artificially contaminated hands of 5 volunteers was studied. METHODS: The experiments were performed by using a Latin square statistical design, with two 5 x 4 randomized blocks, and the results were estimated by ANOVA. In the first and second blocks, the fingertips of the volunteers were contaminated with approximately 10(3) colony-forming units (light contamination hand) and 10(6) colony-forming units (heavy contamination hand), respectively. RESULTS: In the first block, all products tested were effective, almost completely removing the microbial population of A baumannii artificially applied to the hands. In the second block, the use of hand-cleansing agents resulted in 91.36% (4% chlorhexidine), 92.33% (liquid soap), 98.49% (10% povidone-iodine), and 98.93% (70% ethyl alcohol) reduction in counts of A baumannii cells applied to the fingertips. The ethyl alcohol and povidone-iodine had significantly higher removal rates than plain soap and chlorhexidine (P <.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that 70% ethyl alcohol and 10% povidone-iodine may be the most effective hand-cleansing agents for removing A baumannii strain from heavily contaminated hands (10(6) colony-forming units/fingertip).

Rapid decontamination of gutta-percha cones with sodium hypochlorite.

Gutta-percha cones are now widely used to fill root canals. Because they cannot be sterilized by conventional autoclaving or in a hot-air oven, gutta-percha cones require rapid chairside decontamination before use to maintain the aseptic chain, an essential factor in successful endodontic therapy. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (0.25% to 4%) in sterilizing gutta-percha cones artificially contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains, and Bacillus subtilis spores. After 1 min of treatment, the solutions tested showed bactericidal and sporicidal effects at concentrations of 0.25% and 1%, respectively. At a concentration of 0.25%, the solutions tested were effective in destroying spores after 5 min of exposure. Based on this study, treatment of the cones for 1 min with 1% sodium hypochlorite (Milton's solution) or for 5 min with Dakin's liquid (0.5% sodium hypochlorite) is recommended.

Rapid sterilization of gutta-percha cones with glutaraldehyde.

Five commercially available liquid glutaraldehyde preparations (Glutaron II, Cidex 28, Glutalabor, Banicide, and Anti-G-Plus) were compared for effectiveness in sterilizing gutta-percha cones artificially contaminated with Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 spores. Sporicidal activity differed for the various brands of cones, but after 15 min all glutaraldehyde solutions were effective in eliminating the spores. However, three solutions (Cidex 28, Banicide, and Anti-G-Plus) showed sporicidal activity within a shorter time (10 min). All glutaraldehyde solutions tested may be used in endodontic practice for rapid decontamination of gutta-percha cones, thus contributing to the maintenance of the aseptic chain, an essential factor for successful root canal treatment.

Simplified technique for detection of significant bacteriuria by microscopic examination of urine.

A comparative study of microscopic examination of 10 microl (simplified loop technique) and 50 microl (traditional drop technique) of uncentrifuged Gram-stained urine specimens for detection of significant bacteriuria was carried out. The results demonstrated that the 10-microl loop technique can be used as an alternative to the 50-microl drop technique for presumptive diagnosis of urinary-tract infection in bacteriological practice, with the advantages of greater rapidity and ease of performance.