Real-life and in vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial effectiveness of a polycationic fabric coating

Abstract

Background: Inanimate surfaces, including hospital textiles, are increasingly recognized to play a role in pathogen transmission. We aimed to evaluate a polycationic antimicrobial fabric coating in reducing bacterial burden in vitro and in hospital settings.

Methods: Cotton fabric patches (coated and uncoated) were exposed to bacterial contamination: (1) in vitro, by dry contamination with Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli, and (2) in clinical settings. Recovery was performed by 2 methods: Swabbing (method 1) and sonicating (method 2). Colony forming units (CFU) per paired coated and uncoated fabric patch were compared.

Results: From the field tests, 48 pairs of fabric patches were analyzed. With method 1, the median bacterial CFU per fabric patch was 16 CFU on uncoated fabric and 39 CFU on coated fabric. With method 2, the median bacterial CFU per fabric patch was 132 CFU on uncoated fabric, and 0 CFU on coated fabric. In vitro assessment with 24 paired patches confirmed these findings.

Conclusions: Polymer-coated fabric effectively lowered bacterial burden when recovery was performed by liquid extraction, while effectiveness could not be demonstrated when bacteria were recovered with swabs. Further investigations are required to explore potential implications for effectiveness evaluation in clinical settings.

Keywords: Antimicrobial coating; Bacterial burden; Hospital hygiene; Medical textiles.