Poorly Processed Reusable Surface Disinfection Wipe Dispensers May be a Source of Infection

Reusable surface disinfectant wipe dispensers are used in hospitals in many countries because they allow immediate access to pre-soaked tissues for targeted surface decontamination. On the other hand disinfectant solutions with some active ingredients may get contaminated and cause outbreaks. Kampf, et al. (2014) determined the frequency of contaminated surface disinfectant solutions in reusable dispensers and the ability of isolates to multiply in different formulations.

Reusable wipes dispensers with different surface disinfectants were randomly collected from healthcare facilities. Solutions were investigated for bacterial contamination. The efficacy of two surface disinfectants was determined in suspension tests against two isolated species directly from a contaminated solution or after five passages without selection pressure in triplicate. Freshly prepared use solutions were contaminated to determine survival of isolates.

The researchers found that 66 dispensers containing disinfectant solutions with surface-active ingredients were collected in 15 healthcare facilities. 28 dispensers from nine healthcare facilities were contaminated with approximately 107 cells per mL of Achromobacter species 3 (nine hospitals), Achromobacter xylosoxidans or Serratia marcescens (one hospital each). In none of the hospitals dispenser processing had been adequately performed. Isolates regained susceptibility to the disinfectants after five passages without selection pressure but were still able to multiply in different formulations from different manufacturers at room temperature within seven days.

The researchers say that neglecting adequate processing of surface disinfectant dispensers has contributed to frequent and heavy contamination of use-solutions based on surface active ingredients. Tissue dispenser processing should be taken seriously in clinical practice. Their research was published in BMC Infectious Diseases.

Reference: Kampf G, Degenhardt S, Lackner S, Jesse K, von Baum H and Ostermeyer C. Poorly processed reusable surface disinfection tissue dispensers may be a source of infection. BMC Infectious Diseases 2014, 14:37  doi:10.1186/1471-2334-14-37