chloramine-t and Cross-Infection

In recent years an increase of the incidence of Candida infections caused mainly by C. albicans strains especially in high risk inpatients with neoplasms, decreased immunity, burns and after treatment with multiple antibiotics has been observed. Candida organisms are particularly dangerous for newborns being responsible for about 30% of septicaemia cases in newborns in intensive care units. Fungal infections can be endogenous in origin but exogenous infection sources occur in hospitals. The cause of the latter are errors in aseptic management and insufficiently disinfected medical instruments and equipment. The purpose of the study was a comparison of the sensitivity to disinfectants of C. albicans belonging to two laboratory strains C. albicans PZH and C. albicans ATCC 10231 used for the determination of concentrations of two disinfectants used. Besides that, this sensitivity was determined in 14 strains isolated from the patients and one from the circuit of dialysis solution supply to artificial kidney. The study was carried out by the qualitative suspension method, in which the cells in the fluid were subjected to the action of disinfectants, and by the carrier method in which the cells of the microorganisms were present on the surface of metal cylinders. By the suspension method the sensitivity was determined to chloramine T in concentrations from 5.0% to 0.001%, formalin from 10.0% to 0.25%, glutaraldehyde from 2.0% to 0.1%, Septyl from 3.5% to 0.25%. The exposure time was 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes. The tested strains differed in their sensitivity to the disinfectants used. The greatest interstrain differences were observed in the sensitivity to the disinfectants used. The greatest interstrain differences were observed in the sensitivity to chloramine T. The highest concentrations were tolerated by the strains isolated from the patients and from the artificial kidney circuit as well as by the standard strain ATCC 10231. In the 10-minute exposure time accepted by us as comparison standard these strains were 200-time less susceptible to chloramine than the standard C. albicans PZH strain. Two strain isolated from the patients were tenfold as sensitivive. The sensitivity to the remaining tested disinfectants showed less evident differences. The sensitivity of the strains from the patients to formalin was similar to that of the standard PZH strain. A similar sensitivity was found to Septyl, with the exception of the strain from the artificial kidney c

Topics: Candida albicans; Candidiasis; Chloramines; Cross Infection; Disinfectants; Formaldehyde; Glutaral; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Kidneys, Artificial; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Species Specificity; Surface Properties; Tosyl Compounds

Topics: Bandages; Chloramines; Cross Infection; Disinfectants; Hand; Hand Disinfection; Humans; Personnel, Hospital; Tosyl Compounds