NR AWBS
AU Baxter,H.C.; Campbell,G.A.; Richardson,P.C.; Jones,A.C.; Barton,J.; Kovalev,V.; Whittaker,A.G.; Baxter,R.L.
TI Decontamination of instruments used in 'high risk' surgery: developments of RF gas-plasma methods for decontamination monitored by sensitive protein measurements carried out directly on instrument surfaces
QU International Conference - Prion 2006: Strategies, advances and trends towards protection of society - 3.10.-6.10.2006, Torino, Italy, Lingotto Conference Centre - Poster sessions SA-01
PT Konferenz-Poster
AB The resistance of the TSE infective agent to conventional decontamination procedures is well documented and achieving satisfactory levels of protein decontamination from medical instruments to eliminate the possibility of iatrogenic transfer is a significant challenge. A year ago we demonstrated the effectiveness of the use of RF gas-plasma as a method of removing residual contamination from reprocessed surgical instruments and of removing TSE infectivity from experimentally contaminated stainless steel spheres (Baxter et al, J. Gen. Virol., 2005, 86, 2393). In parallel, as part of a survey commissioned by the UK Department of Health, a number of trays of sterile reprocessed surgical instruments, chosen at random from the Sterile Services Departments (SSDs) of several NHS Hospital Trusts in England and Wales, were analysed for contamination. Of 120 instruments examined, >99% were shown to harbor protein bioburdens in the range 10-1200 microg per instrument (Baxter et al, J. Hosp. Infect., 2006, in the press). We have recently developed a range of novel fluororescent labeling reagents in which the fluorescence is suppressed by incorporation of a labile quenching group. Reaction with a protein eliminates the quenching moiety to give a covalently modified protein with 103-104 fold increases in fluorescence. In contrast to conventional methods of monitoring contamination on surfaces, which require attempted removal of the soil and subsequent derivatisation prior to measurement, these can be used for direct derivatisation of proteins on the surface and the increase in fluorescence measured directly using a surface scanning spectrofluorimeter. This technique enables us to monitor contamination on surgical instruments with a detection level of ~10 attamoles/mm2. (ca 106 protein molecules/mm2) - a sensitivity previously only achievable in solution. Here we describe the use of this approach for directly monitoring the effectiveness of current hospital cleaning protocols and of RF gas-plasma protocols in the decontamination of 'high risk' neurosurgical instruments.
AD School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, UK. E-mail: r.baxter@ed.ac.uk
SP englisch
PO Italien