Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T10:07:07.428Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Cold-Air Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Against Clostridium difficile Spores: A Potential Alternative for the Decontamination of Hospital Inanimate Surfaces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2015

Tânia Claro*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Orla J. Cahill
Affiliation:
School of Electronic Engineering and National Centre for Plasma Science Technology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Niall O’Connor
Affiliation:
School of Electronic Engineering and National Centre for Plasma Science Technology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Stephen Daniels
Affiliation:
School of Electronic Engineering and National Centre for Plasma Science Technology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Hilary Humphreys
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland Department of Microbiology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
*
Address correspondence to Tânia Claro, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Education and Research Centre, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland (tpedrosaclaro@rcsi.ie).

Abstract

Clostridium difficile spores survive for months on environmental surfaces and are highly resistant to decontamination. We evaluated the effect of cold-air plasma against C. difficile spores. The single-jet had no effect while the multi-jet achieved 2–3 log10 reductions in spore counts and may augment traditional decontamination.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0):1–3

Type
Concise Communications
Copyright
© 2015 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Presented in part: 9th Healthcare Infection Society International Congress; Lyon, France; November, 2014.Received November 24, 2014; accepted February 5, 2015

References

1. Lawley, TD, Croucher, NJ, Yu, L, et al. Proteomic and genomic characterization of highly infectious Clostridium difficile 630 spores. J Bacteriol 2009;191:53775386.Google Scholar
2. Otter, JA, French, GL. Survival of nosocomial bacteria and spores on surfaces and inactivation by hydrogen peroxide vapor. J Clin Microbiol 2009;47:205207.Google Scholar
3. Nerandzic, MM, Cadnum, JL, Pultz, MJ, Donskey, CJ. Evaluation of an automated ultraviolet radiation device for decontamination of Clostridium difficile and other healthcare-associated pathogens in hospital rooms. BMC Infect Dis 2010;10:197.Google Scholar
4. Barbut, F, Menuet, D, Verachten, M, Girou, E. Comparison of the efficacy of a hydrogen peroxide dry-mist disinfection system and sodium hypochlorite solution for eradication of Clostridium difficile spores. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2009;30:507514.Google Scholar
5. Cahill, OJ, Claro, T, O'Connor, N, et al. Cold air plasma to decontaminate inanimate surfaces of the hospital environment. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014;80:20042010.Google Scholar
6. Claro, T, Daniels, S, Humphreys, H. Detecting Clostridium difficile spores from inanimate surfaces of the hospital environment: which method is best? J Clin Microbiol 2014;52:34263428.Google Scholar
7. Speight, S, Moy, A, Macken, S, et al. Evaluation of the sporicidal activity of different chemical disinfectants used in hospitals against Clostridium difficile . J Hosp Infect 2011;79:1822.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8. Tseng, S, Abramzon, N, Jackson, JO, Lin, WJ. Gas discharge plasmas are effective in inactivating Bacillus and Clostridium spores. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2012;93:25632570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Mastanaiah, N, Johnson, JA, Roy, S. Effect of dielectric and liquid on plasma sterilization using dielectric barrier discharge plasma. PLOS ONE 2013;8:e70840.Google Scholar
10. Klämpfl, TG, Shimizu, T, Koch, S, et al. Decontamination of nosocomial bacteria including Clostridium difficile spores on dry inanimate surface by cold atmospheric plasma. Plasma Process Polym 2014;11:974984.CrossRefGoogle Scholar