Objectives: This study aimed to validate the use of peracetic acid as sporicide agent to decontaminate the working surface of a laminar flow biological safety cabinet (BSC), as an alternative to glutaraldehyde, including the selection of the disinfecting agent, the method of application, and the contact time. Materials and methods: The test organism was the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus atrophaeus ATCC 9372, which is a surrogate for an important infectious agent. Spore cultures were prepared from B. atrophaeus and used them to test the sporicidal efficacy of peracetic acid on a BSC stainless steel surface. The performance of the sterilant was assessed by determining minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and by microbial challenge in conditions that mimicked surface contamination. It was used 2.0% glutaraldehyde solution as the control. Results: The range of MICs was 0.6-1.1% for the control and 0.003–0.006% for the 0.2% peracetic acid solution. The 0.2% peracetic acid was an effective sterilant against B. atrophaeus spores (6-7 log spores, under defined conditions of use) after 40 min contact time, which was double that recommended on the product label. Conclusion: It was conclude that while the results of official methods can help to evaluate how products will perform, they are not usually reproducible in real-life user conditions and environments. Validation tests must be carried out to ensure the efficacy and safety of surface decontamination procedures.
Primary Language | English |
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Journal Section | ART |
Authors | |
Publication Date | September 1, 2012 |
Published in Issue | Year 2012 Volume: 2 Issue: 03 |