The Effects of Dry, Humid and Wear Conditions on the Antimicrobial Efficiency of Triclosan-Containing Surfaces

• Main Authors: Abel Guillermo Ríos-Castillo, Carolina Ripolles-Avila, José Juan Rodríguez-Jerez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>; triclosan; surfaces; antimicrobial activity; bacterial inhibition; epifluorescence microscopy; humidity; dryness; wear condition
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/8/1717

This study evaluated the effects of triclosan-containing polyester surfaces under various conditions at concentrations of between 400 ppm and 850 ppm. <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> was chosen for the tests because it rapidly develops resistance to many antimicrobial agents. The results show that dry and humid conditions have bacteriostatic activity that inhibits the growth of <i>S. aureus</i>, with a greater effect under dryness (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Further, concentrations as low as 400 ppm showed activities of 0.99 log₁₀ and 0.19 log₁₀ for dry and humid conditions, respectively. The study of the association between triclosan concentrations and bacterial inhibition showed a high correlation for dry (R² = 0.968) and humid conditions (R² = 0.986). Under wear conditions, triclosan showed a gradual reduction in its bacteriostatic activity due to successive washing/drying treatments (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Thus, the use of triclosan in low concentrations is suggested as achieving bacteriostatic activity. Moreover, its use can be considered as complementary to the cleaning and disinfection procedures carried out in the food industry. However, it must not replace them. Manufacturing processes must be improved to preserve the triclosan properties in the antimicrobial materials to control microorganisms involved in cross-contamination between surfaces and food.