A two-month environmental study has shown that silver-based BioCote® antimicrobial protection, an integral feature of all Stuart® benchtop laboratory equipment, reduces bacterial contamination of instrument surfaces by over 96 per cent.
The study was carried out at the University of Birmingham, in a laboratory conducting research for Cancer Research UK.
Bacterial surface contamination of six BioCote-treated Stuart instruments, such as hotplate stirrers and a mixer, were compared with untreated instruments in the same laboratory. All items included in the study had been in routine use for around 18 months. Swabs from touchpads, switches, casings etc. were collected fortnightly for two months and Total Viable Counts (TVC) were obtained after inoculation and incubation of plate count agar.
Results were dramatic: there was a mean reduction in excess of 96 per cent in the TVC of bacteria contaminating the BioCote-treated equipment, compared with untreated control items in the same environment.
According to Rob Skehens, Marketing Director, Bibby Scientific, ‘This important study suggests that BioCote® antimicrobial protection has a vital role to play, complementing established GLP and GMP protocols, in ensuring that laboratory environments comply with the highest health and safety standards. While surface disinfection in the laboratory will always be essential, permanent antimicrobial surfaces of instruments represent a powerful weapon against the hazards of lab-acquired infection and contamination of precious experimental or test samples. This is particularly true for surfaces subjected to physical contact with reagents, or repeated hand contact by multiple users.’
Laboratory evidence suggests that BioCote® technology, in the form of silver ions disrupts the bacterial cell membrane function and cause denaturing of vital enzymes within the cell, leading to rapid cell death. Silver ions are slowly released from an inorganic matrix via an ion exchange mechanism, maintaining an effective concentration on or near the surface of the material. Active throughout the useful life of each instrument, BioCote® kills a wide range of bacteria and fungi, including MRSA, E. coli, Legionella, Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus niger.
About Bibby Scientific
One of four new companies established by Nova Capital from the former Barloworld Scientific business which it acquired in November 2007, Bibby Scientific Limited focuses on the design, manufacture and distribution of three world-leading benchtop laboratory equipment brands: Jenway®, Stuart® and Techne®.
Stuart sample-processing equipment and Techne temperature control products are developed at Bibby Scientific’s headquarters in Stone, Staffordshire, while the Jenway analytical range is manufactured at the company’s Felsted, Essex site. All three brands are available through good laboratory distributors worldwide and Bibby Scientific Ltd has subsidiaries in France and Italy, as well as associated companies in Hong Kong and the USA.
For further information, please contact:
Paul Carter at Phoenix MarCom Ltd. Tel: 01223 873318,
Fax: 01223 874173, Email: paul.carter@phoenixmarcom.co.uk
Bibby Scientific Limited, Beacon Road, Stone, Staffordshire,
ST15 0SA. Tel: +44 (0) 844 936 0234, Fax: +44 (0) 844 936 0235,
E-mail: info@bibby-scientific.com
www.bibby-scientific.com
19 March 2009
BioCote® proven to work in real-life environments.
As experts in our field, BioCote Ltd is leading the way in research and evidence-based studies to demonstrate the antimicrobial performance of BioCote® protected products not only in lab tests but also in real life environments.
