Effectiveness of current disinfection procedures against biofilm on contaminated GI endoscopes.

Background And Aims: Attention to patient safety has increased recently due to outbreaks of nosocomial infections associated with GI endoscopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate current cleaning and disinfection procedures of endoscope channels with high bioburden and biofilm analysis, including the use of resistant mycobacteria associated with postsurgical infections in Brazil.

Methods: Twenty-seven original endoscope channels were contaminated with organic soil containing 10(8) colony-forming units/mL of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, or Mycobacterium abscessus subsp bolletii.

Mycobacterium massiliense BRA100 strain recovered from postsurgical infections: resistance to high concentrations of glutaraldehyde and alternative solutions for high level disinfection.

Purpose: To evaluate the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of GTA against these microorganisms and alternative disinfectants for high-level disinfection (HLD).

Methods: Reference mycobacteria and clinical M. massiliense strains were included in this study.