Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T18:09:31.791Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Delayed antimicrobial effects of skin disinfection by alcohol

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

H. A. Lilly ,
E. J. L. Lowbury ,
M. D. Wilkins  and
A. Zaggy
H. A. Lilly
Affiliation:
MRC Industrial Injuries and Burns Unit, Birmingham Accident Hospital
E. J. L. Lowbury
Affiliation:
MRC Industrial Injuries and Burns Unit, Birmingham Accident Hospital
M. D. Wilkins
Affiliation:
MRC Industrial Injuries and Burns Unit, Birmingham Accident Hospital
A. Zaggy
Affiliation:
MRC Industrial Injuries and Burns Unit, Birmingham Accident Hospital
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Aqueous suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus were deposited on a Millipore filter and then exposed for a few seconds to 70 % ethyl alcohol. Viable counts of bacteria extracted from the filter immediately after exposure to alcohol, and, in replicate experiments, after a further period of 3 h, showed that the mean immediate reduction of 97·6 % in viable counts after treatment with alcohol was followed by a further mean reduction of 67· 1 % in the further 3 h holding time; the same bacterial suspensions allowed to dry on Millipore filters without exposure to alcohol showed a significantly smaller mean reduction in viable counts (34·3 %) during a further 3 h holding time. These findings support the view that the reported further fall in numbers of bacteria on hands while wearing gloves for 3 h after alcohol disinfection can be explained by sublethal damage to some of the bacteria, from which they can recover only if promptly inoculated on culture medium.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 82 , Issue 3 , June 1979 , pp. 497 - 500
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

References

Ayliffe, G. A. J., Collins, B. J. & Lowbury, E. J. L., with Babb, J. R. & Lilly, H. A. (1967). Ward floors and other surfaces as reservoirs of hospital infection. Journal of Hygiene 65, 515.Google ScholarPubMed
Pettit, F. & Lowbury, E. J. L. (1968). Survival of wound pathogens under different environmental conditions. Journal of Hygiene 66, 393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lilly, H. A. & Lowbury, E. J. L. (1974). Disinfection of the skin with detergent preparations of Irgasan DP 300 and other antiseptics. British Medical Journal iv, 372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowbury, E. J. L. & Fox, J. (1953). The influence of atmospheric drying on the survival of wound flora. Journal of Hygiene 51, 203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lowbury, E. J. L., Lilly, H. A. & Bull, J. P. (1964). Methods of disinfection of hands and operation sites. British Medical Journal ii, 531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowbury, E. J. L. & Lilly, H. A. (1973). Use of chlorhexidine detergent solution (Hibiscrub) and other methods of skin disinfection. British Medical Journal i, 510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowbury, E. J. L., Lilly, H. A. & Ayliffe, G. A. J. (1974). Pre-operative disinfection of surgeons' hands: use of alcoholic solutions and effects of gloves on skin flora. British Medical Journal iv, 369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miles, A. A. & Misra, S.S. (1938). Estimation of the bactericidal power of the blood. Journal of Hygiene 38, 732Google ScholarPubMed
Wilcoxon, F. (1945). Biometrics Bulletin, i, 80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar