Antimicrobial activity of copper alloys against microorganismsa.
| Test organism & strain | Inoculum | Antimicrobial surface & UNS name | % Copper | Extent of reduction | Inactivation time | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murine norovirus-HuCoV-229E | 5 × 105 PFU | CuZn (C26000) | 70 | 4-log | 30 min | 62 |
| CuNi (C71500) | 70 | 1-log | 2 h | |||
| E. coli-ATCC 25922 | 1 × 107 CFU | CuZn (C23000 & C24700) | 86 | 100% | 15 min | 26 |
| 63 | 100% | 30 min | ||||
| MRSA-NCTC 10442 | 1 × 107 CFU | CuZn (C24000) | 80 | 4-log | 3 h | 27 |
| MSSA, VRE, E. coli | Not specified | CuZn | 60 & 70 | 90–100% | 10 weeks | 79 |
| E. coli-O157:H7 | 1 × 107 CFU | CuSi (C65500) | 97 | 100% | 65 min | 81 |
| CuAlNi (C61500) | 90 | 100% | 180 min | |||
| CuSn (C51000) | 95 | 100% | 105 min |
a
UNS: unified numbering system for metals and alloys; %copper: percentage of copper in alloy; ref.: references.