EH 5_2015

Professional cleaning and disinfection technology Looking for professional hygiene standards you can rely on in the nursing or care sector? MEIKO TopLine washer-disinfectors are a great choice when it comes to preventing infections and protecting your patients and care staff. MEIKO TopLine technology has earned our customers‘ trust and loyalty all over the world thanks to its outstanding ability to clean and disinfect care utensils such as bedpans, urine bottles, and commode buckets. From stand-alone appliances and combined care units to fully-fitted utility rooms, MEIKO TopLine offers top-quality clean solutions custom-made to your specifications. MEIKO TopLine: reliable standards of hygiene in a user-friendly and cost-effective package. In good hands www.meiko.info TopLine – Reliable hygiene management for dirty utility rooms MEDICA Düsseldorf 16–19 November 2015 Hall 12, Booth A67 M_TopLine_103x297.indd 1 23.10.15 08:15 surgical LED lamp STARLED3 NX Acem S.p.A. Medical Company Division Bologna – ITALY Ph.+39 051 721844 info@acem.it − www.acem.it Medical Lighting System MEDICA DÜSSELDORF 16 – 19 nov 2015 Hall 10 Stand E 31 www.healthcare-in-europe.com 9LABORATORY & INFECTION CONTROL such assays are performed using calf intestine (CIP). Bacterial ALP released following the proliferation of bacterial species in pure water can create interferences with CIP in enzyme immunoassays, where it is used to generate signals: UV/visible light, fluorescence, or chemilumi- nescence. Generation of turbidity – Bacteria in high concentrations can behave as particles, interfering in turbidi- metric assays, and affecting detec- tion at 340 nm. Increased equipment maintenance – Both analysers and water purifica- tion units must be decontaminated to reduce bacterial interferences. This results in a loss of time for bio- medical laboratory personnel, ana- lyser downtime, as well as the risk that traces of sanitising agents could remain in analyser fluidics and later interfere with assays. Protection from bacteria: effective system design and intelligent storage Combined purification technolo- gies – In the biomedical laboratory effective water purification systems typically use a combination of puri- fication technologies. This approach efficiently reduces contaminant lev- els (ions, organics, bacteria, parti- cles, silica) and also ensures that the water dispensed to the clinical analyser is of constant quality. To specifically target the presence and effects of bacteria, a number of purification techniques are avail- able. In this article, only those that specifically influence bacterial con- trol are discussed. However, for use with a clinical analyser, it is highly recommended to select a water purification sys- tem that also incorporates robust and reliable technologies, such as reverse osmosis RO) and electrode ionisation (EDI) (see water purifica- tion system diagram). Ultraviolet germicidal lamps – Ultraviolet (UV) treatment is powerful purification technology. Germicidal UV lamps inactivate bac- teria in pure water and thus avoid the formation of biofilm. Treatment with UV alters the bacteria’s DNA structure, preventing the growth of microorganisms. To minimise the risk of bacterial growth, UV lamp treatment typi- cally occurs before water is stored, and in some cases, in the storage tank, as well as during recircula- tion in the water distribution loop. The importance of storage tanks – A modern, intelligently designed water storage tank can also help reduce bacterial growth and degra- dation of water purity over time. A strict choice of quality storage tank materials, associated with careful design and appropriate protection against airborne contaminants, can ensure consistent water quality dur- ing storage. Virgin ion-exchange resins and automatic recirculation – Depending on the assays, the clinical analyser and the laboratory, water temporar- ily stored in the reservoir can be directly used to feed the analyser, or further purified. Additional purification to reach Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) clinical labora- tory reagent water (CLRW) qual- ity involves the use of virgin ion exchange resins (IEX), which remove ions to a very low level. The use of these high-quality resins, as well as intermittent recirculation, both help avoid bacterial growth on resin beads over time. 0.22 µm filtration – In the water purification chain, screen membrane filtration (0.22 µm) can also be used in bacteria control. Usually, a 0.22 µm membrane filter is placed at the purification system outlet to ensure a constant low bacterial count (< 10 CFU/mL) in water delivered to the analyser. Ultrafiltration to remove bacterial by-products (ALP) – To efficiently remove alkaline phosphatase poten- tially released by bacteria, an ultra- filter can be installed at the outlet of the purification unit, right before water is distributed to the analyser. Conclusion Correct water purification system design, an adequate and effective sanitisation procedure, as well as selection of an efficient final filter can help keep bacteria under con- trol and maximise clinical analyser uptime. Contact for authors: Millipore S.A.S. Lab Water Business Field, Lab Solutions Business Area, Saint- Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. treatments forward to trials as well.’ There has been a significant decline in deaths involving C-Diff in recent years in Scotland and across the UK, but figures from the National Records of Scotland statistics still reveal 160 deaths there from C-Diff in 2013. In England and Wales, the number of C-Diff related deaths fell from 8,324 in 2007 to 1,646 in 2012, with much of the improvement down to improved hospital hygiene during that period. However, with the growing threat from antibiotic resistance, Professor Suckling said, ‘New, powerful treat- ments are urgently needed.’ MGB BP-3, discovered as a result of research collaboration between the Strathclyde chemists and biolo- gists, represents a new class of drugs, with a new mechanism of action that could transform the treatment of common, and potentially fatal, infec- tious diseases. MGB Biopharma has allowed the Strathclyde developed S-MGB plat- form exclusive worldwide licensing rights for all anti-infective fields. This platform provides an opportu- nity to develop various compounds, with a completely new mode of action, which are distinct from the antimicrobial drugs used in clinical practice today. Drug discovery is a major research theme at Strathclyde, with Health Technologies a key area of expertise within the University of Strathclyde’s new £89 million Technology and Innovation Centre, opened in July. Trial results are expected by the end of 2015, with high expectation within the research team that the new antibiotic MGB-BP-3 will enter clinical use. MGB-BP-3 idium difficile Colin Suckling has been Freeland Professor of Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde since 1989, and also served as Dean of the Faculty of Science, Deputy Principal, and Vice Principal of the uni- versity. His work on the development of inter-institutional and interdisciplinary research partnerships gained him an Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. His research focus lies on the synthesis and properties of heterocyclic compounds designed as molecular probes for biological systems, or as drugs. Particular progress has been made in fused pyrimidine compounds with anti-cancer and anti-parasite activity and in minor groove binders for DNA with antibacterial activity. nting problems caused by bacteria clean up alyser A sanitary sampling valve can provide easy and reliable microbiological testing of analyser feed water produced by the water purification system Evolution over time of bacterial counts in a water purification system not using UV treatment compared to a second system using UV treatment M_TopLine_103x297.indd 123.10.1508:15 Ph.+39051721844

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