Antimicrobial properties of solid copper (Cu) surfaces against various microorganisms have been demonstrated, but little is known about the durability and relative antimicrobial efficacy of different Cu formulations currently used in healthcare. The aim of this study was to assess whether three different formulations of copper-bearing alloys (integral, spray-on and Cu-impregnated surfaces) and a stainless steel control differed in their antimicrobial efficacy, durability, and compatibility with hospital-grade cleaner/disinfectants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draft protocol for the evaluation of bactericidal activity of Cu containing alloys was modified to more accurately reflect cleaning methods in healthcare. The three different Cu alloys were evaluated using 25 × 25 × 3 mm disks subjected to one year of simulated cleaning and disinfection using the Wiperator™ with microfiber cloths presoaked in three common hospital disinfectants: accelerated hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium, or sodium hypochlorite solutions. Bactericidal activity was evaluated using Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. While all Cu formulations exhibited some antimicrobial activity, integral and spray-on Cu alloys showed the greatest efficacy. Assessments of durability included documentation of changes in mass, morphological changes by scanning electron microscopy, chemical composition alteration by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and surface roughness alteration using profilometry over one year of simulated use. The integral Cu alloy had the least mass loss (0.20% and 0.19%) and abrasion-corrosion rate (6.28 and 6.09 μm/yr) compared to stainless steel. The integral product also showed the highest durability. Exposure to disinfectants affected both the antimicrobial efficacy and durability of the various copper products.

中文翻译：

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体外评估医疗保健中使用的三种铜表面的抗菌功效和耐用性。

已经证明了固态铜（Cu）表面对各种微生物的抗微生物特性，但是对于目前在医疗保健中使用的不同Cu配方的耐久性和相对抗微生物功效知之甚少。这项研究的目的是评估三种不同的含铜合金配方（整体，喷涂和浸铜表面）和不锈钢对照在其抗菌功效，耐用性以及与医院级清洁剂/消毒剂。修改了美国环境保护局用于评估含铜合金杀菌活性的协议草案，以更准确地反映医疗保健中的清洁方法。使用25×25×3 mm的圆盘对Wildator™进行了模拟清洁和消毒，使用Wiperator™和预先浸泡在三种常见的医院消毒剂中的超细纤维布进行了一年的模拟清洁和消毒，以评估这三种铜合金：加速过氧化氢，季铵或次氯酸钠溶液。使用金黄色葡萄球菌和铜绿假单胞菌评估杀菌活性。尽管所有的铜配方均表现出一定的抗菌活性，但整体式和喷涂铜合金显示出最大的功效。耐久性的评估包括记录质量变化，通过扫描电子显微镜观察的形态变化，通过能量色散X射线光谱学进行的化学成分变化以及在模拟使用中使用轮廓仪进行的表面粗糙度变化的记录。与不锈钢相比，整体式铜合金的质量损失最小（0.20％和0.19％），磨损腐蚀率最小（6.28和6.09μm/ yr）。整体产品还显示出最高的耐久性。接触消毒剂会影响各种铜产品的抗菌效果和耐用性。