Comparison of the microbicidal efficacy on germ carriers of several tertiary amine compounds with ortho-phthalaldehyde and Perasafe.

Summary Several tertiary amine formulations have been marketed as high-level disinfectants (HLDs). This study compared some of these formulations with two accepted HLDs [ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and Perasafe] by determining the bactericidal effect on 52 micro-organisms using a metallic germ carrier, determining the sporicidal effect using a commercial germ carrier (3M spores), and performing a corrosion test on surgical blades with human blood. OPA and Perasafe were significantly more effective than all the tertiary amines tested, and acted within a contact time of 10 min compared with 20 min for the other products. For Gram-negative micro-organisms, Instrunet FA showed no significant differences at 20 min compared with OPA and Perasafe at 10 min. The amines tested did not differ significantly in global bactericidal efficacy. Unlike the tertiary amines, OPA and Perasafe were effective against mycobacteria (15-min contact period), but were not sporicidal. All agents (except one tertiary amine) passed the corrosion test. In conclusion, OPA and Perasafe can be considered as HLDs. However, 15–20 min of contact is required and both products have disadvantages.