American Journal of Infection Control: Effectiveness and Real-World Materials Compatibility of a Novel Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfectant Cleaner

American Journal of Infection Control recently published an article entitled, “Effectiveness and real-world materials compatibility of a novel hydrogen peroxide disinfectant cleaner” which discusses a novel 4% hydrogen peroxide disinfectant that was effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridioides difficile spores, carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli, and 2 strains of Candida auris. In laboratory testing, a sodium hypochlorite disinfectant caused fading and loss of pliability of a hospital mattress, but the hydrogen peroxide disinfectant did not. These findings suggest that the hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant may be a useful addition to the sporicidal disinfectant products available for use in healthcare settings.

Excerpt from the article:

In U.S. healthcare facilities, sporicidal disinfectants are commonly used in rooms of patients with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), whereas non-sporicidal disinfects are typically used in non-CDI rooms.1 Given concern that asymptomatic carriers may contribute to transmission of C. difficile, there is a potential rationale for use of sporicidal disinfectants in non-CDI rooms.2,3 In recent studies, C. difficile has been cultured from 5% to 24% of non-CDI rooms after cleaning and disinfection.4,5 However, many sporicidal disinfectants have limitations that discourage widespread use. Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is corrosive and may be irritating to personnel and patients. Peracetic acid-based disinfectants have better materials compatibility but are relatively unstable with a short shelf-life.6 Thus, there is a need for alternative disinfectants with activity against C. difficile spores.

Sani-HyPerCide disinfectant (Professional Disposables International, Woodcliff Lake, NJ) is a hydrogen peroxide-based spray or wipe disinfectant that has sporicidal activity in part due to the generation of low concentrations of peracetic acid during use. The product has an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration for many vegetative pathogens with a 1-minute claim and for C. difficile spores with a 5-minute claim. In the current study, we evaluated the effectiveness and materials compatibility of the hydrogen peroxide disinfectant in comparison to 3 other disinfectants.

Highlights

• Many sporicidal disinfectants have limitations that discourage widespread use.
• We tested the effectiveness of a hydrogen peroxide disinfectant cleaner.
• The product was effective against Clostridioides difficile spores and Candida auris.
• The disinfectant did not cause fading or loss of pliability of a mattress.

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