Germicidal Wipes Can Spread Bacteria
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/03/health/w [2008-6-5]
Tag: Instant Hand Sanitizer
(WebMD) Just how effective are those disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizersfor preventing disease? Two newly reported studies that asked the
question have come to different conclusions.
In a study that focused solely on wipes, researchers concluded thatinstead of preventing hospital-acquired infections likemethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA ) the wipes could actually be spreading bacteria when usedimproperly by hospital staffers.
But another study, reported Monday in the journal Pediatrics,suggests that frequent use of disinfecting wipes and handsanitizers in the classroom can reduce school absenteeism caused bybacterial and viral illness.
Disinfecting wipes and alcohol-based hand gels are now widely usedin hospitals, schools, and other public settings to kill thepathogens that cause infectious disease.
Americans now spend an estimated $1 billion a year on these andother antibacterial products, but their direct impact on the spreadof infectious disease is not well understood.
(Do you use antibacterial wipes? Do you think they work? Why or whynot? Talk with others on WebMD's Parenting: Preschoolers and GradeSchoolers board. )
Wipes Can Spread Bacteria
About 100,000 cases of invasive MRSA occur each year in the UnitedStates, according to the CDC, and the vast majority of theseinfections occur in hospitals and other health-care settings.
Disinfectant wipes are among the products used in such settings inan effort to prevent the spread of MRSA and other infectiouspathogens.
But in a study presented today in Boston at the annual meeting ofthe American Society for Microbiology, researchers from CardiffUniversity's Welsh School of Pharmacy reported that when usedimproperly the wipes may spread bacteria rather than remove or killthem.
Researchers Jean-Yves Maillard, PhD, Gareth Williams, PhD, andcolleagues observed hospital staffers as they used the wipes todisinfect hospital rooms.
"We saw that there was a tendency to use one wipe on consecutivesurfaces, such as bed rails, computer monitors, and keyboards,"Williams tells WebMD.
The researchers used the wipes in this way in laboratory testsdesigned to measure their ability to remove and kill the bacteriathat cause staph infections, including MRSA.
While most of the wipes tested did remove large numbers of bacteriafrom contaminated surfaces, they also commonly transferred livebacteria to uncontaminated surfaces when used in more than oneplace. Even some wipes that claimed to kill bacteria were found totransfer live bacteria from one surface to another, the researchersreport.
"Many of the wipes were effective, but the message is that theyhave to be used properly," Williams says.
That means using one swipe per wipe on a single surface, Maillardtells WebMD.
Targeting Germs in the Classroom
Colds, flu, and stomach bugs result in millions of lost school dayseach year.
Frequent hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spreadof infectious illness, but new research suggests that commerciallyavailable hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes can also helpreduce the spread of infectious disease in schools.
Researchers from Children's Hospital Boston conducted a randomized,controlled trial at an Ohio elementary school in which the wipesand sanitizers were used in some classrooms, but not in others.
For eight weeks, teachers in the intervention classrooms used thewipes to disinfect each student's desk once a day after lunch, andthe students were told to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizerseveral times a day. The classes without hand sanitizer anddisinfecting wipes followed usual cleaning procedures and handhygiene practices.
There was no difference in the absentee rate due to respiratoryillness between the intervention and non-interention classes overthe course of the study, but the extra sanitation did seem toreduce the incidence of GI illness.
Twenty-four percent of students in the classes that did not use thewipes and hand sanitizers were absent from school during the studybecause of gastrointestinal illness, compared to 16% of students inthe intervention classrooms.
The study was funded by The Clorox Company, which manufactures thedisinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer used by the researchers.
"Hand washing is really the best way to prevent the spread ofinfection, but this study suggests that hand sanitizers anddisinfecting wipes can also play a role," researcher Thomas J.Sandora, MD, MPH, tells WebMD. "This is a relatively low cost andsimple way for schools to help keep kids healthy."
Industry Responds to Studies
Soap and Detergent Association spokesman Brian Sansoni agrees.
"This research reinforces the commonsense message that proper andregular use of cleaning and hygiene products enhances publichealth," Sansoni tells WebMD. "Soap and water are the goldstandard, but when they aren't available hand sanitizers areeffective for killing germs."
Sansoni also agreed that proper use of disinfecting wipes in thehospital setting is key to their effectiveness.
"(The Welsh) study shouldn't be perceived as saying that theseproducts aren't effective," he says. "But it is absolutely criticalthat they be
used properly."
By Salynn Boyles
Reviewed by Louise Chang
(WebMD) Just how effective are those disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizersfor preventing disease? Two newly reported studies that asked the
question have come to different conclusions.
In a study that focused solely on wipes, researchers concluded thatinstead of preventing hospital-acquired infections likemethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA ) the wipes could actually be spreading bacteria when usedimproperly by hospital staffers.
But another study, reported Monday in the journal Pediatrics,suggests that frequent use of disinfecting wipes and handsanitizers in the classroom can reduce school absenteeism caused bybacterial and viral illness.
Disinfecting wipes and alcohol-based hand gels are now widely usedin hospitals, schools, and other public settings to kill thepathogens that cause infectious disease.
Americans now spend an estimated $1 billion a year on these andother antibacterial products, but their direct impact on the spreadof infectious disease is not well understood.
(Do you use antibacterial wipes? Do you think they work? Why or whynot? Talk with others on WebMD's Parenting: Preschoolers and GradeSchoolers board. )
Wipes Can Spread Bacteria
About 100,000 cases of invasive MRSA occur each year in the UnitedStates, according to the CDC, and the vast majority of theseinfections occur in hospitals and other health-care settings.
Disinfectant wipes are among the products used in such settings inan effort to prevent the spread of MRSA and other infectiouspathogens.
But in a study presented today in Boston at the annual meeting ofthe American Society for Microbiology, researchers from CardiffUniversity's Welsh School of Pharmacy reported that when usedimproperly the wipes may spread bacteria rather than remove or killthem.
Researchers Jean-Yves Maillard, PhD, Gareth Williams, PhD, andcolleagues observed hospital staffers as they used the wipes todisinfect hospital rooms.
"We saw that there was a tendency to use one wipe on consecutivesurfaces, such as bed rails, computer monitors, and keyboards,"Williams tells WebMD.
The researchers used the wipes in this way in laboratory testsdesigned to measure their ability to remove and kill the bacteriathat cause staph infections, including MRSA.
While most of the wipes tested did remove large numbers of bacteriafrom contaminated surfaces, they also commonly transferred livebacteria to uncontaminated surfaces when used in more than oneplace. Even some wipes that claimed to kill bacteria were found totransfer live bacteria from one surface to another, the researchersreport.
"Many of the wipes were effective, but the message is that theyhave to be used properly," Williams says.
That means using one swipe per wipe on a single surface, Maillardtells WebMD.
Targeting Germs in the Classroom
Colds, flu, and stomach bugs result in millions of lost school dayseach year.
Frequent hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spreadof infectious illness, but new research suggests that commerciallyavailable hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes can also helpreduce the spread of infectious disease in schools.
Researchers from Children's Hospital Boston conducted a randomized,controlled trial at an Ohio elementary school in which the wipesand sanitizers were used in some classrooms, but not in others.
For eight weeks, teachers in the intervention classrooms used thewipes to disinfect each student's desk once a day after lunch, andthe students were told to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizerseveral times a day. The classes without hand sanitizer anddisinfecting wipes followed usual cleaning procedures and handhygiene practices.
There was no difference in the absentee rate due to respiratoryillness between the intervention and non-interention classes overthe course of the study, but the extra sanitation did seem toreduce the incidence of GI illness.
Twenty-four percent of students in the classes that did not use thewipes and hand sanitizers were absent from school during the studybecause of gastrointestinal illness, compared to 16% of students inthe intervention classrooms.
The study was funded by The Clorox Company, which manufactures thedisinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer used by the researchers.
"Hand washing is really the best way to prevent the spread ofinfection, but this study suggests that hand sanitizers anddisinfecting wipes can also play a role," researcher Thomas J.Sandora, MD, MPH, tells WebMD. "This is a relatively low cost andsimple way for schools to help keep kids healthy."
Industry Responds to Studies
Soap and Detergent Association spokesman Brian Sansoni agrees.
"This research reinforces the commonsense message that proper andregular use of cleaning and hygiene products enhances publichealth," Sansoni tells WebMD. "Soap and water are the goldstandard, but when they aren't available hand sanitizers areeffective for killing germs."
Sansoni also agreed that proper use of disinfecting wipes in thehospital setting is key to their effectiveness.
"(The Welsh) study shouldn't be perceived as saying that theseproducts aren't effective," he says. "But it is absolutely criticalthat they be
used properly."
By Salynn Boyles
Reviewed by Louise Chang
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