The in vitro effectiveness of three germicides and three chemotherapeutic drugs against hospital-isolated strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was determined. Solutions of 1% acetic acid, 0.5% Amphyll, and 0.1% Betadine were bactericidal for six strains tested within 15 min at room temperature. Over a 3-year period at the Albany Medical Center Hospital, the percentages of strains of P. aeruginosa ...

Quaternary ammonium compounds, effective as sanitizing agents for food plant equipment under certain conditions, are not well suited as sanitizers for water of high mineral content. Mueller and Seeley (1951) have demonstrated under controlled conditions that various metallic cations can decrease the germicidal action of a quaternary in solution. Knowledge of how such interference takes place co...

Endoscopes are used widely for the diagnosis and therapy of medical disorders. To prevent spread of nosocomial infection, all endoscopes should undergo thorough cleaning and high-level disinfection following each use. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a user-friendly package label for one liquid chemical germicide that requires a 45-minute immersion at 25 degrees C to support ...

Although it has long been realized that the fatty acids have excellent germicidal powers, except for the work done by Reid5 little study seems to have been made of them as a group. In particular, the relative parts played by the dissociated and undissociated fractions have not been investigated in detail, although the existence of this dual action has been recognized. Furthermore, information o...

Low challenge phenol coefficient and high challenge use-dilution tests were made on a neutral cocoanut oil soap emulsion of o-phenylphenol and aqueous solutions of sodium o-phenylphenate prepared in the laboratory from the phenol using a stoichiometric amount of NaOH as well as with increasing amounts of excess NaOH. The phenol had considerably greater activity in both test methods when emulsif...

1. The effect of the pH on the germicidal action of soaps has been studied. The lower members of the series were found to be most active in acid solution; the higher members, in alkaline. The point of transition varied with the test organism used. 2. This is probably due to the effect of the pH on the dissociation residue and on the solubility of the soap. The dissociation residue may affect th...

1. The soaps of the alpha-brom fatty acids are usually more germicidal than the unsubstituted soaps. Only when B. typhosus was the test organism was there no increase in germicidal action. 2. For any test organism, germicidal action of the brominated soaps increases rapidly with increasing molecular weight up to a certain point, then diminishes. This is likewise true of the hemolytic titer. The...

Ever since Pasteur showed that spoilage was due to microorganisms, food preservation has been primarily concerned with finding methods for reducing the microbial populations. In order to extend the edible life of shellfish, its bacterial contamination must be reduced to levels sufficiently low to prevent their metabolic products from subverting these foods before they are consumed. Shellfish fo...