Copper as an antibacterial material in different facilities

Abstract

The efficiency of copper as an antimicrobial material has been noted in laboratory studies and in the hospital environment. The present study further shows that copper exerted an antibacterial effect in different facilities, i.e. in a hospital, a kindergarten, an office building and in a retirement home for the elderly. The study suggests that copper has potential use as an antibacterial material and therefore might serve as a means to lower the incidence of transmission of infectious agents from inanimate surfaces in different facilities, with everyday functions.

Reduction of bacterial burden by copper alloys on high-touch athletic center surfaces

“…Our findings suggest that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered copper alloys are able to reduce bacterial burdens by 94%, confirming previous observations on the antimicrobial properties of copper. 18,31,32 Assessing the bacterial burden on equipment surfaces allows athletic centers to determine which pieces of equipment afford more attention in hygiene maintenance. Across all sampled equipment, the average concentration of bacteria recovered from surfaces was highest for control dumbbells, with a mean concentration of 10,360 CFU/100 cm 2 ( Table 1).…”

Killing of bacteria by copper, cadmium, and silver surfaces reveals relevant physicochemical parameters

“…In a number of hospital trials, wards and intensive care units were fitted with copper alloy table tops, bedrails, door handles, light switches, bathroom fixtures, or copperimpregnated linens and surfaces, in an effort to curb nosocomial infections. [3][4][5] The available data show a substantially reduced bacterial burden on critical surfaces and a reduced nosocomial infection rate in "copperized" hospital wards. 6,7 However, further data are needed to rigorously demonstrate that the use of copper leads to a lasting reduction of nosocomial infections.…”

Antimicrobial Medical Textiles Used in Clinical Settings May Play an Important Role in Reducing Healthcare-Acquired Infections

“…Copper has potent wide spectrum biocidal properties [7,8]. It has been shown in several laboratory and clinical studies that the incorporation of metallic copper or copper oxide particles into inanimate surfaces, such as countertops, knobs, and handles, significantly reduces bioburden as compared to non-biocidal respective surfaces [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] [12,19]. Furthermore, the biocidal efficacy was also demonstrated against antibiotic resistant pathogens, such as MRSA, VRE, carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria and several multi drug resistant pathogens [20,21].…”