FM newsroom – cleaning, hospital disinfection. According to recent research, a common hospital-acquired pathogen shows resistance to standard cleaning products.
A team of chemists found that the nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas Aeruginosa showed significant resilience to active ingredients in household cleaners and hospital sanitising products, European Cleaning Journal reports.
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa is responsible for more than half a million deaths annually and has been identified as a threat of critical priority by the World Health Organisation.
Neutralising a pathogen responsible for deaths
However, the research team at Emory University has discovered that a new quaternary phosphonium compound – developed at Emory University in collaboration with Villanova University – has proved highly effective in neutralising all 20 strains of resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.
Instead of attacking both cellular membranes of the bacterium in the same way as conventional biocides, the compound is said to diffuse passively through the outer membrane and selectively target the inner membrane.
New biocides for more effective cleaning in hospitals
While the research team is still determining why this method is more effective, they hope the discovery may lead to the development of new biocides and more effective cleaning protocols in hospitals and other settings.
The study’s senior author, Professor William Wuest, believes that a new understanding of the bacteria’s resistance could help design future disinfectant products.
