https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001418 1887 Microbiology Society logo * search icon [ ] search icon * account icon * shopping cart icon * + Publications o Microbiology o Journal of General Virology o Journal of Medical Microbiology o Microbial Genomics o International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology o Access Microbiology, an open research platform o JMM Case Reports o Browse Collections + About us o The Microbiology Society o Why publish? o Joining our Editorial Boards + Information for authors o Article types o Prepare an article o Submission and peer review o Post-acceptance and publication o Open Access costs o Fee-free Open Access o Ethics policies o Impact and metrics + Information for librarians o Licensing and access options o Licence agreements o Manage your subscription o Publish and Read o List of Publish and Read institutions o Library FAQs o Resources for librarians + Information for reviewers o Review with us o Guidleines for reviewers + Open Access o Publish Open Access in our journals o Open Access costs o Publish and Read o Open Access reporting o Publish and Read FAQ + FAQs + Contact us * Publications + Microbiology + Journal of General Virology + Journal of Medical Microbiology + Microbial Genomics + International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology + Access Microbiology, an open research platform + JMM Case Reports + Browse Collections * Information for authors + Article types + Prepare an article + Submission and peer review + Post-acceptance and publication + Open Access costs + Fee-free Open Access + Ethics policies + Impact and metrics * Microbiology Society Toggle navigation Tools Microbiology Society logo Volume 169, Issue 11 Research Article Open Access Clostridioides difficile spores tolerate disinfection with sodium hypochlorite disinfectant and remain viable within surgical scrubs and gown fabrics Open Access This article is part of the Diversity in Microbiology collection. * Humaira Ahmed^1 , Lovleen Tina Joshi^2 ORCID icon * View Affiliations Hide Affiliations Affiliations: ^1 Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK ^2 Peninsula Dental School, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK *Correspondence: Lovleen Tina Joshi, [email protected] * Published: 21 November 2023 https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001418 * info Info + Article information + Full-Text + Figures and Tables + References (48) + Cited By + Supplementary Material + Metrics * list Sections * chrome_reader_mode Side by side view * Access full text Article PDF * build Tools Tools + Add to my favourites + Create Publication Alert Create Citation Alert Create Correction Alert + Export citation o BibT[E]X o Endnote o Zotero o RefWorks o Mendeley + Recommend to library + Reprints & Permissions + * share Share Share Abstract Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea globally. Its spores have been implicated in the prevalence of C. difficile infection due to their resistance and transmission ability between surfaces. Currently, disinfectants such as chlorine-releasing agents (CRAs) and hydrogen peroxide are used to decontaminate and reduce the incidence of infections in clinical environments. Our previous research demonstrated the ability of C. difficile spores to survive exposure to recommended concentrations of sodium dichloroisocyanurate in liquid form and within personal protective fabrics such as surgical gowns; however, the present study examined the spore response to clinical in-use concentrations of sodium hypochlorite. Spores were exposed to a 10 min contact time of 1000, 5000 and 10 000 p.p.m. sodium hypochlorite, and spore recovery was determined. To understand whether biocide-exposed spores transmitted across clinical surfaces in vitro, biocide-exposed spores were spiked onto surgical scrubs and patient gowns and recovery was determined by a plate transfer assay. Scanning electron microscopy was used to establish if there were any morphological changes to the outer spore coat. The results revealed that viable biocide-exposed C. difficile spores can be recovered from surgical scrubs and patient gowns, with no observable changes to spore morphology, highlighting the potential of these fabrics as vectors of spore transmission. This study demonstrates that alternative strategies should be urgently sought to disinfect C. difficile spores to break the chain of transmission in clinical environments. * Received: 16/08/2023 * Accepted: 07/11/2023 * Published Online: 21/11/2023 Keyword(s): biocide , Clostridioides difficile , disinfectant , spores , tolerance and transmission (c) 2023 The Authors * This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author's institution. Loading Article metrics loading... /content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001418 2023-11-21 2023-11-23 Download as PowerPoint Loading full text... Full text loading... /deliver/fulltext/micro/169/11/mic001418.html?itemId=/content/journal /micro/10.1099/mic.0.001418&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah References 1. Guh AY, Mu Y, Winston LG, Johnston H, Olson D et al. 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J Bacteriol 2007; 189:8458- 8466 [View Article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/micro/10.1099/ mic.0.001418 Loading Clostridioides difficile spores tolerate disinfection with sodium hypochlorite disinfectant and remain viable within surgical scrubs and gown fabrics Microbiology 169, 001418 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001418 /content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001418 /content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001418 Loading Data & Media loading... Most read this month Article content/journal/micro Journal 5 3 false en Loading Most cited this month Most Cited RSS feed * + The Aerobic Pseudomonads a Taxonomic Study R. Y. Stanier, N. J. Palleroni and M. Doudoroff * + The Continuous Culture of Bacteria; a Theoretical and Experimental Study D. Herbert, R. Elsworth and R. C. Telling * + A Classification of Micrococci and Staphylococci Based on Physiological and Biochemical Tests A. C. 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