Efficacy of copper-impregnated antimicrobial surfaces against Clostridioides difficile spores

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39703079/ Use of Copper-Infused Surfaces Reduces Clostridioides difficile Spores An AHRQ-funded study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found that the use of copper-infused antimicrobial surfaces reduces Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) spores and may help control the transmission of this important healthcare-associated infection. Elimination of C. difficile spores is difficult because they are resistant to common hospital-grade disinfectants. Researchers tested copper-infused surfaces that were molded to bedrails and patient tray tables. Different dilutions of C.diff spores and soiled solutions to simulate organic material were used. Spore reduction after four hours of exposure was recorded. For the average initial spore burden, unsoiled copper-infused surfaces reduced C. diff spores by 97.3 percent and 96.8 percent for bedrail and table samples, respectively. Soiled bedrail and table samples showed a spore reduction of 91.8 percent and 91.7 percent, respectively.