Leakage of virus through used vinyl and latex examination gloves

Abstract

A total of 480 examination gloves (240 vinyl and 240 latex) were stressed by using manipulations designed to mimic patient care. At the highest use level, 38 (63%) of 60 vinyl gloves leaked bacteriophage 4X174 compared with 4 (7%) of 60 latex gloves. At lower use levels, there was no statistically significant difference in leakage.

Comparison of hand contamination rates and environmental contamination levels between two different glove removal methods and distances

“…Powder-free latex gloves carry less risk of leakage compared with vinyl gloves. 22,23 Each subject selected the glove size (small, medium, or large) that he or she uses daily and examined the integrity of the glove by manual checking. After the glove integrity was double-checked by the researcher, the fluorescent solution was applied.…”

Nurses' views of infection control: an interview study

“…Many recognized the value of good protocols in prevention, but none seemed to be aware of the growing body of research evidence which suggests that disposable gloves are easily damaged during routine nursing activities (Komiewitz ef al. 1989); that gloves may be permeable to virus particles (Komiewitz 1989) Nurses' recognition in this study of their need for updating reflects the fmdings of other authors (Matthews 1991). One possible interpretation of the data is that opportunities to learn about infection control were provided but not appreciated.…”

Integrity of powder-free examination gloves to bacteriophage penetration

“…Our study does not support previous investigations, in which synthetic gloves were found to be less resistant to bacteriophage penetration than latex examination gloves. 7,8 Dalgleish and Malkovsky 7 were the first investigators to evaluate surgical gloves as a mechanical barrier against HIV. Seven different types of gloves were investigated for their ability to prevent transmission of HIV.…”

“…In 1990, Korniewicz et al 8 studied the viral penetration of vinyl and latex examination gloves. The purpose of their study was to determine whether bacteriophage Phi-X-174 could penetrate used vinyl and latex examination gloves after standardized manipulations.…”