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UV-C device reduces pathogens on shoe soles
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NEW ORLEANS — A device that uses ultraviolet-C radiation to kill germs on shoe soles reduced the number of dangerous pathogens in a simulated clinical setting, according to researchers.
By stepping onto HealthySole germ control system (Detecto), which exposes shoe soles to UV-C radiation, health care workers may be able to reduce patient exposure to infection, the researchers said at ASM Microbe.
“We have been doing many things to prevent hospital-associated infections, but we are still not there,” study researcher Tasnuva Rashid, PhD, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, told Infectious Disease News. “One thing that people are not looking at with that much focus is shoe soles as a vector.”
In their study, Rashid and colleagues spiked the soles of 200 pairs of shoes with Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and a nontoxigenic strain of Clostridium difficile, and then incubated them for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The shoes were then randomly assigned on a 1:1 ratio to be exposed to UV-C radiation for 8 seconds or had no exposure (controls). Samples were collected from the shoes, flooring, surfaces and dummy patients in a simulated hospital environment.
According to the researchers, UV-C significantly reduced shoe sole contamination with all bacterial species they tested (P < .01 for each species). Shoes that were exposed to the UV-C device also significantly reduced contamination on all floor types and with all species (P < .01 for all experiments). Log10 reductions in colony-forming units on floors were greatest for E. coli (2.6±0.79), followed by E. faecalis (2.19±0.68), S. aureus (1.74±0.88) and C. difficile (0.42±0.54; P < .0001 for all analyses). In clinical simulation experiments, exposure of shoe soles to the UV-C device significantly decreased contamination vs. controls (mean log10 reduction, 2.79±1.25; P < .0001).
The proportion of samples taken from surfaces showing microbiological growth when UV-C–treated shoe soles were worn compared with controls was 27% vs. 100% for floors, 5% vs. 98% for furniture, 8% vs. 100% for beds, and 8% vs. 96% for simulated patients.
Rashid said the results are promising, but more research is needed to determine whether the UV-C device would be effective in a real-world hospital setting. – by Joe Green
Reference:
Rashid T, et al. Evaluation of Germicidal Efficacy of an Ultraviolet Shoe Sole Microbial Decontamination Device. Presented at: ASM Microbe; June 1-5, 2017, New Orleans.
Disclosure: Rashid reports that the study was funded by Detecto.
Perspective
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Bernard C. Camins, MD
While the study is interesting, the results are not surprising. UV-C technology has been shown to decrease bacterial burden on surfaces in patients’ rooms, so I am not surprised that they are effective in disinfecting shoes as well.
As a health care epidemiologist, I am more concerned about disinfecting objects like stethoscopes, lab coats and hospital equipment, which can also harbor bacteria and transmit antimicrobial-resistant organisms.
The study is interesting, but is it really applicable? Will hospitals start requiring UV-C disinfection of health care workers’ shoes? How about guests and visitors? I am skeptical of that prospect.
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