title: Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity and materials compatibility of orthophthalaldehyde as a high-level disinfectant.
abstract: We tested the antimicrobial activity of orthophthalaldehyde (OPA) against 21 strains (16 species) of pathogenic microorganisms that cause hospital-associated infections. Changes in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs-Ag) resulting from the addition of OPA to HBs-Ag-positive serum were measured using a radioimmunoassay. We also examined the effect of immersing medical instruments in OPA (0.55%) for 168 h at room temperature. OPA (0.5%, 0.37% and 0.25%) killed 11 strains of vegetative bacteria within 15 s, and it killed the test micro-organisms faster than 3.0% glutaraldehyde (GTA). Incubation with OPA or GTA caused levels of HBs-Ag to fall below a cut-off value within 30 s. OPA did not adversely affect instruments made from various materials. OPA demonstrated more effective antimicrobial activity than GTA against a range of microorganisms. We conclude that OPA should replace GTA as the first-choice high-level disinfectant for endoscopes, considering its antimicrobial efficacy and low inhalation toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu Kosei-Nenkin Hospital, Kitakyushu, Japan. t.akamatsu@qkn-hosp.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minemoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uyeda
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005976:Glutaral / Q000494:pharmacology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D009764:o-Phthalaldehyde / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D004202:Disinfectants; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D009764:o-Phthalaldehyde; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D005976:Glutaral