(397az) Application of a Smart Antimicrobial Coating in Facilities to Combat Indirect Infection

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that indirect transmission is one of
the major means of disease transmission. Indirect transmission refers to the transfer
of an infectious agent via a contaminated object or person. Inanimate surface is
considered as a common medium that acts as a reservoir for microorganisms to
thrive in until the next user touch it.

An antimicrobial coating containing antimicrobial agents has been developed to
inhibit the survivability and growth of microorganisms on surfaces. In this work,
chlorine dioxide was encapsulated with polymer. The water in oil in water
encapsulation provides a slow and controlled release of chlorine dioxide that is
responsive to touch. The release of antimicrobial agent will be faster upon an
increase in temperature and moisture. Therefore, the designed coating can provide
both contact killing and release killing properties.
In laboratory testing, the antimicrobial coating can obtain a reduction of 4log10
bacteria within 1 min of contact time for gram negative and gram positive bacteria.
The bactericidal property of the coating can last for at least one month. The
antimicrobial coating is also able to kill several Multidrug Resistance
Organisms(MDRO), including Vancomycin, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
Aureus (MRSA).

The antimicrobial coating has undergone field testing in hospital settings, including
an Intensive Care Unit and an orthopedic ward in a local hospital in Hong Kong. The
result showed that the microbial contamination on inanimate surfaces has been
significantly reduced compared surfaces routinely cleaned by bleach solution. Our
results show that the antimicrobial coating is a potent agent to reduce surface
contamination, and therefore, a possible solution to reduce disease transmission.