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Review
. 2021 May 21;10(6):613.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics10060613.

Back to Basics: Choosing the Appropriate Surface Disinfectant

Angelica Artasensi  1 , Sarah Mazzotta  1 , Laura Fumagalli  1
Affiliations
Review

Back to Basics: Choosing the Appropriate Surface Disinfectant

Angelica Artasensi et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

From viruses to bacteria, our lives are filled with exposure to germs. In built environments, exposure to infectious microorganisms and their byproducts is clearly linked to human health. In the last year, public health emergency surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic stressed the importance of having good biosafety measures and practices. To prevent infection from spreading and to maintain the barrier, disinfection and hygiene habits are crucial, especially when the microorganism can persist and survive on surfaces. Contaminated surfaces are called fomites and on them, microorganisms can survive even for months. As a consequence, fomites serve as a second reservoir and transfer pathogens between hosts. The knowledge of microorganisms, type of surface, and antimicrobial agent is fundamental to develop the best approach to sanitize fomites and to obtain good disinfection levels. Hence, this review has the purpose to briefly describe the organisms, the kind of risk associated with them, and the main classes of antimicrobials for surfaces, to help choose the right approach to prevent exposure to pathogens.

Keywords: antimicrobial; disinfectant; fomite; microorganisms; surface contamination; surface disinfection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Generic transmission route.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gram-negative versus Gram-positive cell walls.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Types of viruses architecture.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Fungal wall.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Mechanisms of biocide actions on microorganisms.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Active chlorine species concentration at different pH values [42].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Structure of sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC).
Figure 8
Figure 8
pH-dependent speciation of iodine [51].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Structure of povidone-iodine complex.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Antimicrobial alcohols.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Several microbiocidal phenols.
Figure 12
Figure 12
General structure and common QACs.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Structures of biocides peroxigen compounds.
Figure 14
Figure 14
General classes of antimicrobial surfaces.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Chemical structure of some common monomers and polymers used for surface treatment.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Different approaches in the design of antimicrobial surfaces.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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