Hard Surface Biocontrol in Hospitals Using Microbial-Based Cleaning Products

Abstract

BackgroundHealthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are one of the most frequent complications occurring in healthcare facilities. Contaminated environmental surfaces provide an important potential source for transmission of many healthcare-associated pathogens, thus indicating the need for new and sustainable strategies.AimThis study aims to evaluate the effect of a novel cleaning procedure based on the mechanism of biocontrol, on the presence and survival of several microorganisms responsible for HAIs (i.e. coliforms, Staphyloccus aureus, Clostridium difficile, and Candida albicans) on hard surfaces in a hospital setting.MethodsThe effect of microbial cleaning, containing spores of food grade Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus megaterium, in comparison with conventional cleaning protocols, was evaluated for 24 weeks in three independent hospitals (one in Belgium and two in Italy) and approximately 20000 microbial surface samples were collected.ResultsMicrobial cleaning, as part of the daily cleaning protocol, resulted in a reduction of HAI-related pathogens by 50 to 89%. This effect was achieved after 3–4 weeks and the reduction in the pathogen load was stable over time. Moreover, by using microbial or conventional cleaning alternatively, we found that this effect was directly related to the new procedure, as indicated by the raise in CFU/m2 when microbial cleaning was replaced by the conventional procedure. Although many questions remain regarding the actual mechanisms involved, this study demonstrates that microbial cleaning is a more effective and sustainable alternative to chemical cleaning and non-specific disinfection in healthcare facilities.ConclusionsThis study indicates microbial cleaning as an effective strategy in continuously lowering the number of HAI-related microorganisms on surfaces. The first indications on the actual level of HAIs in the trial hospitals monitored on a continuous basis are very promising, and may pave the way for a novel and cost-effective strategy to counteract or (bio)control healthcare-associated pathogens.

Dos and don’ts for hospital cleaning

“…Probiotic decontaminants are based on the principle of biological competition, whereby applied solutions replace the bad bacteria with a friendlier version [35,36]. The products contain Bacillus spores (e.g.…”

“…The products contain Bacillus spores (e.g. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus megaterium), which are termed 'innocuous' since they exert no biocidal activity [36]. These organisms germinate and spread along dry surfaces, thereby inhibiting proliferation survival of other microbial soil.…”

An Innovative Approach to Hospital Sanitization Using Probiotics: In Vitro and Field Trials

“…The probiotic-based solution contained 1% of spores (30 × 10 6 CFU/ml) of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus megaterium, in addition to ionic surfactants (0.6%), anionic surfactants (0.8%) and enzymes (amylases 0.02%) [18].…”

“…Some studies have focused on the potential ability of a biofilm to inhibit bacterial growth on silicone materials used in the urogenital tract [10,11,13,15] oral cavity [12,14] and/or other matrices [10,16]. Recent trials have shown that probiotic bacteria may also be used to sanitize hospital environments in order to combat the increase in nosocomial pathogens [17,18]. Probiotic bacteria (Probiotics in progress/PIPs) are spores of Bacillus spp, and considered to be innocuous microorganisms as, unlike disinfectants, they do not act as biocides.…”

Probiotic-Based Sanitation as Alternatives to Chemical Disinfectants

“…Кроме того, обычные дезинфектанты обладают неспецифическим биоцидным дей-ствием, а также связываются с органическими загрязнениями, что влечет за собой вторич-ную контаминацию поверхностей и селекцию устойчивых к антимикробным препаратам па-тогенных штаммов микроорганизмов. Прове-денные зарубежные исследования подтверди-ли отсутствие таких свойств у чистящих препа-ратов на основе пробиотиков [5,6,16,17].…”