Abstract
Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) caused by multiple drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have been a serious problem at medical treatment sites. It is generally agreed that ICUs are hotbeds of HAI, so that HAI caused by multiple drug-resistant bacteria is more serious in ICUs. Hand washing with disinfectant, which removes transient flora on hands and isolates multiple drug-resistant bacteria, is the most basic and effective method to prevent HAI. However, there is no one disinfectant that sterilizes all kinds of bacterial flora. Ozonated water is an aqueous solution of ozone gas, with a strong sterilization effect, and except for its slight ozone odor, has the same appearance as water. Ozonated water had a complete sterilization effect on multiple drug-resistant bacterial flora, including MRSA and VRE, and on drug-susceptive bacterial flora. Ozonated water had a complete sterilization effect at much lower concentrations than the other disinfectant used and had an extremely short sterilization time (5 seconds). We believe that ozonated water is a sterilizing disinfectant suitable for the prevention of HAI. However, ozone dissolved in ozonated water naturally decomposes during storage. Thus, it is desirable that ozonated water be generated by an apparatus that ozonated water. Ozonated water used as a sterilization disinfectant must be handled with care. Ozone dissolved in ozonated water reacts easily with the organic compounds dissolved in waste water, causing ozone to changes to oxygen. Ozonated water may also be useful as a treatment system of waste water. Ozonated water offers a new and effective method to prevent HAI.
