Most cleanroom sporicides are highly reactive oxidising chemicals; this is good if you want to kill spores but not so good if you want the most effective sporicides in convenient pre-impregnated wipe or mop formats.
Sporicides kill bacterial and fungal spores, vegetative micro-organisms and viruses. As oxidising agents they react with critical systems within microbial cells bringing about rapid destruction.1 They are an essential weapon in the biocidal armoury of the modern day biopharmaceutical industry, helping to control the typical microflora encountered in cleanrooms. But critically, they destroy spore-formers, such as Bacillus spp. which are notorious for their resistance to heat and chemical destruction.
Choosing the right sporicide is a multifactorial conundrum. A balance must be struck between safety, efficacy, speed of kill, corrosion, residue, shelf life and in-use shelf life, not to mention convenience of use and cost. Yet regulators expect to see a robust validation programme demonstrating reasoned selection, challenge of site isolates and in-use efficacy that keeps cleanroom microflora in check and within limits. As a result, convenience has tended to be low on the list of priorities, but now convenience and efficacy can be combined.
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