Anti-MRSA wipes are inadvertently spreading the superbug in hospitals, according to a study undertaken by Cardiff University.
Hospital staff are reusing the cloths to clean more than one surface.
But research has shown that after just one use of a wipe there is the potential for circulation of the infection to begin, as the wipe’s ability to combat the deadly microbes that cause MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are significantly diminished.
The team behind the research, led by microbiologist Dr Jean-Yves Maillard, are now calling for a ‘one wipe – one application per surface’ approach to infection control in healthcare environments.
The team also believe that marketing slogans such as ‘kills MRSA’, which claim the effectiveness of the cloths, are ubiquitous on the packaging of antimicrobial-containing wipes.
The research, which was supported by a grant from the Wales Office of Research and Development for Health and Social Care, involved a surveillance programme observing hospital staff using the wipes to decontaminate surfaces.
These procedures were then replicated in the laboratory.
Dr Gareth Williams, a microbiologist at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, presented the findings at the American Society of Microbiology’s 108th General Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
He said: “On the whole, wipes can be effective in removing, killing and preventing the transfer of pathogens such as MRSA but only if used in the right way.”
The MRSA bug was linked to more than 1,600 deaths in 2007.
Last year the government ordered a “deep clean” of every hospital in Britain in an attempt to cut the number of superbugs and other hospital acquired infections.
