Effectiveness of a novel non-intrusive continuous-use air decontamination technology to reduce microbial contamination in clinical settings: A multi-centric study

Abstract

Background: Despite rigorous disinfection, fumigation and air treatment, infectious microbial load has been found to circulate and survive for significant duration in health care settings. This raises significant concerns for hospital acquired infections. We have developed a novel, hybrid, trap-and-kill airborne-microbicidal technology called ZeBox which is efficient in clearing 99.999% of airborne microbial load under controlled lab conditions. In this study we evaluate the clinical performance of the ZeBox in reducing airborne and surface microbial load in two independent hospital settings. Methods: The studies were conducted in single bed and multi bed ICU of two hospitals. Airborne and surface microbial loads were collected at pre-determined sampling sites pre- and post-deployment of the ZeBox enabled device. The Normality of data distribution was determined using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Statistical significance was determined using Students T test and Mann-Whitneys U test. Pathogenic and opportunistic organisms were characterized using 16S rDNA sequencing. Furthermore, the antibiotic sensitivity of the isolated organisms was tested against current treatments of choice across major antibiotic classes. Results: Post-deployment, we found statistically significant reductions in both airborne and surface microbial load within the operating range of the ZeBox enabled technology . Across the both hospital ICUs, there was 90% reduction of airborne microbial load on average, and 75% reduction of surface microbial load on average, providing a low bioburden zone of roughly 10-15 feet diameter around the unit. These reduced microbial levels were maintained during the entire duration of device operation over several weeks. Many of the clinical isolates recovered from one of the hospitals were drug resistant, which highlighted the potential ability of ZeBox to eliminate drug-resistant microbes and thereby reduce the frequency of hospital acquired infections. Conclusions: ZeBox enabled technology can significantly reduce a broad spectrum of microbial burden in air and on surfaces in clinical settings. It can thereby serve an unmet need in reducing the incidence of hospital acquired infections.

Efficient elimination of airborne pathogens: a study on aerosolized Mycobacterium tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 using ZeBox technology

“…Once trapped, the microbes are eliminated by a J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f synergistic effect of Electric Field and QAS. The technology and its device variants are proven to eliminate a wide range of microorganisms under laboratory conditions and in clinical settings [11]. We extended the validation exercise and evaluated the efficacy of the technology in eliminating two of the most pernicious airborne pathogens known to man, SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.…”