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Efficacy of a Washer-Disinfector in Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Pathogens from Surgical Instruments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2016

William A. Rutala ,
Maria F. Gergen  and
David J. Weber
William A. Rutala*
Affiliation:
Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Health Care, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Maria F. Gergen
Affiliation:
Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Health Care, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
David J. Weber
Affiliation:
Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Health Care, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
*
130 Mason Farm Road, Bioinformatics, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7030 (brutala@unch.unc.edu).
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This study was designed to test the efficacy of a washer-disinfector in eliminating selected healthcare-associated pathogens from surgical instruments. Our results showed that a washer-disinfector was extremely effective in eliminating microorganisms (>7-log10 reduction), including vegetative and spore-forming bacteria, from experimentally contaminated instruments. The washer-disinfector remained effective in eliminating microorganisms in the absence of enzymatic cleaners and detergents.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35(7):883–885

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 35 , Issue 7 , July 2014 , pp. 883 - 885
Copyright
© 2014 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved.

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