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Comparative Study
. 2024 Dec 29;75(4):289-296.
doi: 10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3920. eCollection 2024 Dec 1.

Comparison of different disinfection protocols against contamination of ceramic surfaces with Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm

Kaća Piletić  1 , Silvestar Mežnarić  2 , Eli Keržić  3 , Martina Oder  4 , Ivana Gobin  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of different disinfection protocols against contamination of ceramic surfaces with Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm

Kaća Piletić et al. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. .

Abstract
in English, Croatian

Environmental contamination with Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm can be a source of healthcare-associated infections. Disinfection with various biocidal active substances is usually the method of choice to remove contamination with biofilm. In this study we tested 13 different disinfection protocols using gaseous ozone, citric acid, and three working concentrations of benzalkonium chloride-based professional disinfecting products on 24-hour-old biofilms formed by two K. pneumoniae strains on ceramic tiles. All tested protocols significantly reduced total bacterial counts compared to control, varying from a log10 CFU reduction factor of 1.4 to 5.6. Disinfection combining two or more biocidal active substances resulted in significantly better anti-biofilm efficacy than disinfection with single substances, and the most effective combination for both strains was that of citric acid, gaseous ozone, and benzalkonium chloride. This follow up study is limited to K. pneumoniae alone, and to overcome this limitation, future studies should include more bacterial species, both Gram-positive and Gramnegative, and more samples for us to find optimal disinfection protocols, applicable in real hospital settings.

Kontaminacija bolničkoga okoliša biofilmom Klebsiella pneumoniae može utjecati na širenje bolničkih infekcija. Dezinfekcija različitim biocidnim aktivnim tvarima obično je metoda izbora za uklanjanje biofilma s površina. U ovoj smo studiji testirali 13 različitih protokola dezinfekcije koristeći plinoviti ozon, limunsku kiselinu i tri radne koncentracije profesionalnih dezinfekcijskih proizvoda na bazi benzalkonijeva klorida na 24-satnom biofilmu dvaju sojeva K. pneumoniae na keramičkim pločicama. Svi testirani protokoli značajno su smanjili ukupni broj bakterija u usporedbi s kontrolom, varirajući od čimbenika smanjenja log10 CFU od 1,4 do 5,6. Dezinfekcija kombinacijom dviju ili više biocidnih aktivnih tvari rezultirala je značajno boljim antibiofilm učinkom od dezinfekcije jednom tvari, a najučinkovitija kombinacija za oba soja bila je kombinacija limunske kiseline, plinovitog ozona i benzalkonijeva klorida.

Keywords: K. pneumoniae; benzaklonijev klorid; benzalkonium chloride; biofilm; citric acid; limunska kiselina; ozon; ozone.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interests

None to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative 3D images of K. pneumoniae biofilm on ceramic tiles treated with different single and combined disinfection protocols using digital microscopy according to disinfection efficacy (20× magnification); 1 – O3; 5 – O3+ 15 % CA; 9 – CA + O3; 11 – 20 % DP1 + O3; 7 – O3 + 20 % DP1; 13 – CA + O3 + 20 % DP1; CN – control (no treatment); CA – citric acid; DP 1 – disinfection product 1; DP 2 – disinfection product 2; O3– ozone
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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