Efficacy of peracetic acid in the control of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Hospital Infections (HI) are a serious problem for public health services and one of the most significant microorganisms is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Among the processes of HI control, we can outline procedures of disinfection using chemical agents. Among the most-used chemical agents currently utilized in hospitals sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid are considered to be the ones that best meet the demands of efficacy and safety. The aim of this study was to compare the germicide activity of sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid on MRSA. For this evaluation, 1% sodium hypochlorite and 0.1% peracetic acid solutions were used, and analyzed against one sample of MRSA isolated from one case of hospital infection at Maringá University Hospital. The results showed that the contact of either solution with a suspension of MRSA, 108 ufc/mL initial inoculum, for 5 minutes was enough to cause a bactericide effect. An increase in time to 10 minutes intensified the action, allowing the bacterial death in concentrations 10 times lower of each one of two disinfectants. It was concluded that sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid feature equivalent germicide activity for MRSA.