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Biocides Currently Used for Bronchoscope Decontamination Are Poorly Effective Against Free-Living Amoebae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Gilbert Greub
Affiliation:
Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
Didier Raoult*
Affiliation:
Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
*
Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27, Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France

Abstract

Free-living amoebae may be pathogenic and harbor several agents of pneumonia. We tested the susceptibility of amoebal cysts and trophozoites to currently used biocides for bronchoscope decontamination. We showed that two particular biocides are inadequate for disinfecting bronchoscopes, as Acanthamoeba polyphaga survived 3 hours of exposure to these undiluted agents.

Type
Concise Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2003

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