Purpose and Goals
- Evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacies of several wipe formulas against a variety of microbes in laboratory-controlled testing.
Materials and Methods
- This testing will be a modification of ASTM International’s Standard Test Method E2967, as Wiperator machines and components are no longer available.
- Test surface tiles (1″ x 3″ rectangles) will be inoculated with a liquid microbial suspension, dried, and then placed in the wiper machine (Gardco D10V) for automated treatment with a loaded wipe. After wiping, the microbes from each surface will be recovered into a solution which will be dilution-plated to provide quantifiable viable microbial burden data for each surface tested.
- This preliminary testing will include 5% organic soil (serum) in the inoculum solution.
- Each test will include one microbial strain:
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 33592 (MRSA) bacteria
- Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 4352 or BAA-1705 (KPC) bacteria
- Candida auris CDC B11903 fungus
- Staphylococcus epidermis ATCC 35984 bacteria
- Salmonella enterica ATCC 10708 (formerly known as S. choleraesuis) bacteria
- Salmonella enterica ATCC 14028 (formerly known as S. typhimurium) bacteria
- Shigella flexneri ATCC 12022 bacteria
- Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 (standard strain) or 43888 (a O157:H7 strain) bacteria
- Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644 bacteria
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 or 15442 bacteria
- Bacillus subtilis ATCC 19659 Gram-positive bacterial spores
- Clostridioides difficile ATCC BAA-1870 or 43598 (formerly known as Clostridium difficile) bacterial spores
- Influenza A virus (H1N1) ATCC VR-1469
- Human Coronavirus strain OC43 ATCC VR-1558
- Feline calicivirus (FCV) strain F-9 ATCC VR-782 (a surrogate for human norovirus)
- Each test will include 216 total data points:
- 4 test surfaces (such as stainless steel, glass, PVC, etc)
- 3 wipe substrate compositions (such as polycellulose, polyester, etc)
- 3 wipe loads (such as dry, disinfectant A, disinfectant B, etc)
- 6 replicate wipes will be tested for each testing condition (such as 2 lots x 3 wipes per lot).
- The wipe boat will include a total weight of TBD (not including the mop/wipe), and the mop/wipe will be loaded against a wrapped 2”x3” sponge or a 2”x4” flat weight.
- Each mop/wipe will pass over the test surface TBD total times at speed TBD to simulate real-world usage.
- Note: Alternate strains can be validated for testing upon request for a New Strain Fee.
- Note: Optional GLP services are available for an additional fee.
Data Analysis
- Data will be calculated to determine the quantifiable bacterial/fungal burden in colony-forming units per surface (CFU/surface) or viral burden in plaque- or foci-forming units per disc (PFU/surface or FFU/surface) remaining on each test surface.
- Data will be analyzed to determine the consistency between replicates.
- Data will be analyzed to compare the efficacies of each test condition to determine the percent reductions and log reductions of microbial burdens compared to controls.
Typical Turn Around Time
- Bacterial/fungal (per strain): 6-8 weeks following receipt of the test materials.
- Viral (per strain): 8-10 weeks following receipt of the test materials.