By Healthcare Facilities Today

Clostridium difficile infection is a significant issue in healthcare facilities, and proper hand hygiene is recommended to help prevent C. diff transmission. It is known that alcohol based-handrubs are ineffective at killing C. diff spores and recent studies demonstrate that the efficacy of handwashing is limited, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.

A recent study sought to evaluate several aggressive chemistries including chlorinated lime for reduction of C. difficile spores.

In the study, spores of non-toxigenic C. diff were distributed onto the palms of subject’s hands. A series of hand hygiene procedures were evaluated including a 30-second non-antimicrobial handwash and a five-minute hand disinfection procedure with a scrub brush using 4 percent chlorinated lime, 2000 ppm peracetic acid, or 1,000 ppm acidified bleach.

Chlorinated lime and peracetic acid were statistically superior to acidified bleach and the non-antimicrobial handwash, according to the article.

Read the article.