Ozone Treatment for Elimination of Bacteria in Medical Environments

Pathogenic bacteria in medical environments can lead to treatment complications and hospital acquired infections (HAIs), and current cleaning protocols do not address hard-to-access areas or that may be beyond line-of-sight treatment such as with ultraviolet radiation. Here, we tested the efficacy of Sanisport ozone as a means to treat hospital equipment and surfaces for killing bacteria. We observed a rapid killing of medically-relevant and environmental bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtlis, and Deinococcus radiodurans) across four surfaces (blankets, catheter, remotes, and syringes) within 30 minutes, and up to a 99% reduction in viable bacteria at the end of 2-hour treatment cycles. These results show the strong promise of ozone treatment for reducing risk of infection and HAIs.