Antibacterial Wipes Can Spread Bacteria
Wipes Remove, Don't Kill MRSA
POSTED: Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Antibacterial wipes used to disinfect surfaces at hospitals may actually spread bacteria, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Welsh School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University said the antimicrobial wipes don't work well after the first use.
A news release about the study pointed out that disinfecting surfaces is important in stopping the spread of bugs such as the hard-to-kill Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA.
Dr. Gareth Williams said the research was meant to answer the question, "Are we confident that these organisms are susceptible to the germicides used in our hospitals?"
The results showed that some wipes can remove higher numbers of bacteria from surfaces than others. However, the wipes tested were unable to kill the bacteria that they removed.
As a result, they transferred high numbers of bacteria to other surfaces.
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