Antimicrobial Resistance Research

Real World Interactions

Advanced Oxidation Technologies using photocatalytic nanomaterials for the promotion of hospital hygiene

Hospital surfaces are a key reservoir for transmission of infectious agents including Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile. Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that patients admitted to rooms previously occupied by colonised patients have a higher probability of acquiring the same pathogen. Conventional terminal disinfection does not adequately reduce contamination sufficiently to prevent transmission. Reduction in the environmental microbiological burden e.g. using hydrogen peroxide vapour decontamination has been found to correlate with reduced infections. However, the high rates of recontamination result in insignificant long term residual effect. Advanced oxidation technologies based on photocatalytic nanomaterials are capable of providing continuous surface decontamination. This project will investigate the mechanism of action of phototcatalytic nanostructured doped TiO2 based coatings on the inactivation of S. aureus and C. difficile in vitroand will establish, for the first time, the antibacterial efficacy of visible light induced phototcatalytic TiO2 coated on surfaces of hospital wards (including fixtures and textiles) in partnership with New Cross Hospital, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and our industrial collaborator Maeda-Kougyou. Importantly, characterisation of the coatings will be carried out to determine their detailed chemistry and structure and to determine how these factors influence the bactericidal mechanism of action.

Staff: D J Malik, G LiPuma, B Vaidhyanathan, A Clemente (Research Student)