2000 Volume 5 Issue 1 Pages 1-7
One factor causing the spread of bacteria in the hospital environment is transmission of bacteria via shoes. To prevent this, disrupting the spread of bacteria from contaminated areas into clean areas is very important. We experimentally produced the following 3 types of mats.(1) Water retention type mat: The part corresponding to the pile part of commercially available floor mats is made of nylon and acrylic, and polyester is used in the base to improve water retention. In addition, an indicator, which tells the remaining amount of the disinfectant was attached.(2) Paper mat: This is a bag-shaped mat that is composed of nylon and nonwoven fabric, and filled with pulp sheats (tissue-pattern) for better water retention.(3) Tank type mat: This has a water-retaining part in the central area of the mat and parts that absorb water, released from the water-retaining part, on both sides. After spraying 0.2% (w/v) benzalkonium chloride on each mat, the number of viable bacteria on the mat was serially counted. The tank-type mat showed longer term inhibition of bacterial proliferation compared with the other two types. The disinfection rate at which bacteria was eliminated from the soles of footgear (sterile filtration rate) with S.D. was 83 ±12% for the tank type, 75 ±9% for the water retention type, and 68 ±12% for the paper type mat. Since the tank type mat was superior to the other mats in not only the disinfection rate, but also in the water retention rate, it appears to be the most effective device for disrupting the infection routes.
