Disinfection of Hands: Removal of Transient Organisms

Abstract

Suspensions of Staph. aureus and Ps. pyocyanea were allowed to dry on marked areas of the palms of both hands. A number of alternative methods of disinfection and ablution were compared in respect of their activity in removing these “transient” contaminants. A Latin-square design and standard methods of washing, rinsing, and sampling were used. All the methods tested had a large effect. In the experiments with Staph. aureus the most active methods (washing with povidone-iodine surgical scrub and rinsing with 0.5% aqueous chlorhcxidine diacetate solution) c. used reduction of 99.97 % and 99.86 % respectively in mean counts of samplings from the treated areas, as compared with untreated control areas; these effects were slightly but significantly greater than that of bar soap and water, which caused a reduction of 99.62 % in the mean count. Similar results were obtained in the experinent with Ps. pyocyanea, though with that organism an effect significantly better than that of soap and water was obtained only with chlorhexidine solution. A chlorhexidine solution was significantly more active in removing Staph. aureus from the hands than a solution of hypochlorite (Milton 1 in 80) ; the latter did not causc a significantly greater effect than rinsing with distilled water. Dried suspensions of E. coli were more effectively rermoved from hands wearing rubber gloves than from ungloved hands. Suspensions of Staph. aureus allowed to dry on hands which were previously washed with a hexachlorophane or an lodophor detergent preparation or treated with chlorhexidine cream showed a significantly smaller proportion of survivors than similar inocula on hands which had not been treated with an antiseptic. © 1964, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.