Ultraviolet light can help hospitals disinfect patient rooms from drug-resistant bacteria, according to an article on the Hospitals & Health Networks website.
Duke Health tested the use of UVC against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA; vancomycin-resistant enterococci, or VRE; Acinetobacter and Clostridium difficile.
The study compared standard disinfection using quaternary ammonium with three other cleaning methods: quaternary ammonium followed by UV light, chlorine bleach without UV light, and bleach with UV light.
The researchers found that the UV light cumulatively decreased infection by 30 percent, but the results for each bug varied.
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