SPREADING SUPERBUGS: Studies at two Welsh hospitals show that hospital staff using antimicrobial wipes spread germs around instead of killing them. The wipes can clean most of the bugs off a surface, but don't immediately kill them. When used on more than one surface, the wipe transfers germs to the second surface.

In the first part of the study, researchers focused on how hospital staff used the wipes to clean surfaces near patients, such as bedrails, tables and computer keypads. They noticed staff used the same wipe to clean the same surface repeatedly, or used it on other surfaces before throwing it away. It made a difference.

What is Staphylococcus?

Staph, as it is commonly known, is a group of bacteria that causes a multitude of diseases by infecting our bodies.

Treatable Staph: Of the more than 30 types of staph, the most common to humans are the strains of Staphylococcus aureus, which exist on the skin or in the nose of 30% to 40% of healthy people. It causes anything from pimples to pneumonia, and responds to antibiotics such as penicillin. Hospitals are particularly sensitive to outbreaks of staph since ill and recovering people tend to be more vulnerable to infections.

Deadly Staph: The nasty staph strains are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). They are both resistant to antibiotics and difficult to fight. These life-threatening "superbugs" can cause disfiguring infections, and can only be treated intravenously with expensive antibiotics.

One Wipe, One Surface Kills Germs

Taking the hospital observations back to the laboratory, researchers developed a system to test several types of commercially available antimicrobial wipes. They tested the wipes against Staphylococcus aureus, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA and MSSA.

Researchers analyzed three aspects of antibacterial wipes:

1. How effective are they in removing pathogens?

2. Do they transmit pathogens?

3. What kinds of antimicrobial properties do they have?

They found there are effective, ineffective and unsafe ways to use the wipes.

• Effective—Using a wipe once on one surface kills microbes.
• Ineffective—Using a wipe more than once on the same surface returns the microbes to the surface.
• Unsafe—Using a wipe on more than one surface spreads the microbes around.

"On the whole, wipes can be effective in removing, killing and preventing the transfer of pathogens such as MRSA but only if used in the right way," said study coauthor Dr. Gareth Williams, a microbiologist at the Welsh School of Pharmacy. "We found that the most effective way to prevent the risk of MRSA spread in hospital wards is to ensure the wipe is used only once on one surface." (Science Daily, 6/04/08)

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Question for Readers:

Do you think that the millions of dollars Americans spend on antibacterial wipes each year will protect their health?