Live Experiment Shows That MRSA Dies on Antimicrobial Copper Surfaces

NEW YORK, April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MRSA—the super virulent bacteria that is a leading cause of infections during patient hospitalization—has met its match:   Antimicrobial Copper.  A live webcast experiment (http://www.antimicrobialtouchsurface.com/) demonstrated that Antimicrobial Copper effectively kills MRSA within two hours while it readily survives on stainless steel.

"Antimicrobial copper is part of the solution in the fight against healthcare-acquired infections – it kills 99.9% of bacteria* within two hours of exposure," said Harold Michels, senior vice president, technology and technical services for the Copper Development Association (CDA). The experiment was sponsored by the International Copper Association and the European Copper Institute.

Professor William Keevil, microbiological researcher and head of Environmental Research at the University of Southampton (UK), who conducted the experiment notes, "We know that 80% of all infections are spread by touch and a contaminated hand will contaminate at least another seven touch surfaces," Keevil said during the webcast.

What is MRSA?  MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (pronounced meer-sa), is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics called beta-lactams, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC). Between 2005 and 2008, 17,508 cases of invasive MRSA infections contracted in healthcare facilities were recorded in the U.S. alone.

Before the experiment, the MRSA culture was stained with a green fluorescent dye to make it visible under a microscope, and then placed on Antimicrobial Copper and stainless steel. As the bacteria died off, the fluorescence diminished. The rate of diminishing fluorescence was a measure of the antimicrobial power of the surface on which it had been placed. The stainless steel surface showed little fade, indicating the surface had no antimicrobial activity. By contrast, the MRSA on the Antimicrobial Copper surface died in real time during the webcast.

Why is this important?  The first week of April is International MRSA Testing Week, sponsored by the MRSA Survivors Network. The goal of International MRSA Testing Week is to highlight the global epidemic of MRSA, and to set up a worldwide MRSA surveillance and reporting system. This system would further the goal of raising awareness of MRSA, centralizing the relevant information, and helping facilitate the implementation of active detection and isolation (ADI).

MRSA is just one of six infectious bacteria that Antimicrobial Copper products can make public health claims against under the EPA registration and help protect against becoming a healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) in healthcare facilities worldwide.

How prevalent are HAIs? About two million HAIs are reported in the U.S. annually resulting in 100,000 deaths.  HAIs are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease, cancer and strokes and kill more people than automobile accidents, fires and drowning combined, according to the CDC.

Worldwide, more than seven million people suffer from HAIs annually.  In addition to the immeasurable personal costs, the World Health Organization estimates the actual costs of HAI deaths to be roughly $6.5 billion.

"Our goal is for health care administrators, infectious disease professionals, architects and other health care decision-makers to consider antimicrobial copper products when they're retrofitting or building new facilities because of their ability to continuously kill bacterial contamination," concluded Michels.

About Antimicrobial Copper

* Laboratory testing shows that, when cleaned regularly, Antimicrobial Copper kills greater than 99.9% of the following bacteria within 2 hours of exposure: MRSA, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE), Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli O157:H7. Antimicrobial Copper surfaces are a supplement to and not a substitute for standard infection control practices and have been shown to reduce microbial contamination, but do not necessarily prevent cross contamination; users must continue to follow all current infection control practices.

EPA approval for public health claims. In the U.S., after many years of research, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered more than 350 copper based alloys, such as brass and bronze, as public health antimicrobial products.  Antimicrobial Copper is the only class of solid touch surfaces registered by the EPA to continuously kill bacteria that cause infections and pose a risk to human health.

Copper is the active, microbe killing ingredient. Antimicrobial Copper isn't just pure copper. It's shorthand for a host of copper based metals (or alloys) that can go head-to-head with stainless steel in terms of strength, durability and aesthetics.  In addition to their antimicrobial properties, copper alloys are:

• Durable & recyclable.
• Wear-resistant.
• Can stand up to harsh environments.
• Can retain details and finish over time

About the Copper Development Association

The Copper Development Association Inc. is the market development, engineering and information services arm of the copper industry, chartered to enhance and expand markets for copper and its alloys in North America. Learn more at our blog. Follow us on Twitter.

Contact:

Dan Fernandez
212.297.2121  
[email protected]

Victoria Prather
(212) 251-7209
[email protected]

SOURCE Copper Development Association Inc.