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Susceptibility of Antibiotic-Susceptible and Antibiotic-Resistant Hospital Bacteria to Disinfectants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

William A. Rutala ,
Marsha M. Stiegel ,
Felix A. Sarubbi  and
David J. Weber
William A. Rutala*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina The Department of Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Marsha M. Stiegel
Affiliation:
The Department of Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Felix A. Sarubbi
Affiliation:
The Division of Infectious Diseases, East Tennessee University School of Medicine, Johnson City, Tennessee
David J. Weber
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina The Department of Hospital Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
*
Division of Infectious Diseases, 547 Burnett Womack Bldg, CB #7030, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7030
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Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate whether hospital strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria exhibited altered susceptibility to disinfectants.

Design:

Antibiotic-susceptible bacteria were obtained from American Type Culture Collection: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella choleraesuis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hospital strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria were obtained from clinical isolates, including: S aureus, S epidermidis, E coli, Enterococcus species, K pneumoniae, and P aeruginosa. The Association of Official Analytical Chemist's use-dilution method was used to test these 12 strains of 7 bacterial pathogens for their susceptibility to a phenol and a quaternary ammonium compound. For five pathogens, we tested a susceptible and a more resistant strain in 20 comparative trials (5 pathogens, 2 disinfectants, 2 dilutions per disinfectant).

Results:

In our 20 comparative trials, the antibiotic-resistant strains exhibited an increased resistance to the disinfectant in only a single instance.

Conclusions:

Our data demonstrate that the development of antibiotic resistance does not appear to be correlated to increased resistance to disinfectants.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 18 , Issue 6 , June 1997 , pp. 417 - 421
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1997

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