The development of a new three-step protocol to determine the efficacy of disinfectant wipes on surfaces contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus.

This paper describes a three-step protocol to quantify the efficacy of disinfectant wipes, their ability to remove and prevent transfer of MRSA and MSSA from inoculated stainless steel surfaces. Test wipes achieved a significantly higher bacterial cell removal than control wipes on all surfaces (p<0.05). The low bactericidal activity of the wipes (<1 log10 reduction when directly inoculated) and the subsequent survival of bacteria on the wipes, however, led to repeated transfer of contamination. Journal of Hospital Infection2007;67:329-35.