A whole-glove method for the evaluation of surgical gloves as barriers to viruses

Abstract

Background: Today, because of the wide variety of infectious agents encountered in the health care environment, clinicians must be particularly concerned about the potential for small-sized virus penetration through glove defects.

Objective: To describe a method for testing gloves that evaluates the entire glove and allows for detection of low levels of virus penetration. Ten sets of 10 different gloves from 4 manufacturers were evaluated using this method.

Methods: Barrier properties were evaluated using the bacteriophage, phiX174. Gloves were filled with surfactant solution placed in flasks containing 10(6) viruses per mL. Flasks were agitated at 37 degrees C +/- 2 degrees C and assayed for 180 minutes.

Results: Virus penetration was detected in 8% of the 100 gloves tested using the quantitative assay. The qualitative assay determined that 14% of the gloves tested allowed penetration.