Table 2. In vitro studies on the transmission of microorganisms to/from textiles from other surfaces.
| Microorganism | Transfer material | Findings | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Acinetobacter baumannii, MRSA, VRE |
100% cotton white coats to porcine skin | Test species transferred onto porcine skin 1, 5 and 30 min after textile inoculation with 0.5 MacFarland standard or a 1:100 dilution of this suspension. The rate of transfer was not quantified. | Butler et al. (2010) |
|
Bacillus thuringenesis, E. coli, S. aureus |
Cotton or polyester to fingertips | Transfer efficiencies of cotton and polycotton were <6.8–0.37% for E. coli, <1.0–0.37% for S. aureus and <0.6% for B. thurengenesis. Transfer was higher for non-porous surfaces at 40.7–3.8%, 20.3–2.7% and 57–0.04%, respectively. |
Lopez et al. (2013) |
|
C. difficile spores |
Stainless steel or vinyl flooring to polypropylene laminate surgical gowns | 101-103 CFU C. difficile spores transferred onto surgical gowns after 10 s to 1 min contact with stainless steel or vinyl surfaces spiked with 105 CFU spores. | Dyer et al. (2019) |
| MRSA | Cotton bedsheets and towels to porcine skin | MRSA was transmissible for up to 14 days; 103–104 CFU transferred on to porcine skin 1 day after the textile was inoculated (106 CFU inoculum) and 102–103 CFU transferred 7 days post-inoculation. | Desai et al. (2011) |
| Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, E. coli and S. aureus | Textile to textile: cotton, polycotton, polyester, silk, wool, polypropylene and viscose | Friction increased the transfer of S. aureus by two to five-fold and E. coli and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus by 5.7–61% compared to direct contact without friction. Transfer of S. aureus, A. calcoaceticus and E. coli was also significantly greater for wet fabrics compared to dry fabrics. A. calcoaceticus and E. coli transferred more efficiently from smoother textiles (viscose and polyester) compared to rougher textiles (polypropylene). |
Varshney et al. (2020) |
| S. aureus | Textile (cotton/polycotton) to textile or fingers. | Transfer of S. aureus to fingers was generally low (<3% transfer), however polycotton had a greater rate of transfer than cotton. Friction increased transfer by up to 5-fold. Transfer was significantly greater from textile to other textile or fingers when the textile was moist and when friction was applied. | Sattar et al. (2001) |