Innovation Partners for Aerobiology & Biomedical Research

In this blog post I want to bring to your attention a follow up article recently produced by airmid healthgroup which is also in the area of antimicrobial validation studies. As previously highlighted, antimicrobial technologies are receiving growing media attention due to the requirement for infection control in commonly contaminated areas. These technologies are valued for their contribution to the control of infectious diseases in sectors such as airline travel, cleanroom facilities and sports facilities.

This article on the assessment of antimicrobial surfaces and antimicrobial validation studies has been produced as a follow up to the recent interview of Dr John Fallon, Head of Microbiology.

The article goes in to further details of the various assessments and validation studies of antimicrobial surfaces developed by bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC).

The article has been written by Vivienne Mahon PhD a Senior Researcher at airmid healthgroup. Vivienne graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a B.A. (Mod) degree in microbiology and then remained at Trinity to complete a PhD in molecular microbiology that focused on the regulation of gene expression in enterotoxigenic E.coli. Vivienne then spent two years as a post-doctoral scientist in the National Institute for Bioprocessing, Research and Training (NIBRT) working on mammalian cell culture media development and optimisation.

Dr Mahon compares and contrasts the standard methods that use bacteria for the test organisms. Some of the methods described can be customised for special projects by being modified to investigate antifungal and/or antiviral effects.

See excerpt of the article below. You can read the full article in the article section of the web site.

An overview of methods used to evaluate the efficacy of antibacterial treated surfaces and textiles

In general, rather than being free living, most microorganisms exist attached onto surfaces. These microorganisms then have the potential to transfer to other locations e.g if they come into contact with human skin or food items. If microorganisms are transferred to an environment that has favourable conditions for growth, they may multiply and eventually cause adverse effects in exposed individuals¹. An antimicrobial treatment could prevent a surface from becoming a reservoir of infection². Therefore antimicrobial surfaces are of significant interest to both consumers and manufacturers, and this is an area that has been vigorously marketed and pursued³. A number of different antimicrobial agents have been immobilized onto a wide range of both non-porous surfaces (such as plastics and metals) and porous surfaces (such as natural and synthetic fabrics)⁴.

Read full article =>> Click here

Contact Fraser Hodgson if you have any questions on the issues raised in this article and to learn how we can add value to your company:  fhodgson@airmidhealthgroup.com

References

1         Verran, J. (2002) Biofouling in Food Processing: Biofilm or Biotransfer Potential? Food and Bioproducts Processing 80 (4), 292-298

2         OECD. (2007) Analysis and assessment of current protocols to develop harmonised test methods and relevant performance standards for efficacy testing of treated articles/treated materials. ENV/JM/MONO(2007)4

3         Haldar, J. et al. (2007) Preparation, application and testing of permanent antibacterial and antiviral coatings. Nature Protocols 2 (10), 2412-2417

4         Green, J.B. et al. (2011) Review of immobilized antimicrobial agents and methods for testing. Biointerphases 6 (4), CL2-43