Evaluation of the efficacy of three medical device detergents on bacteria and yeast derived biofilm: a comparative study

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of three medical detergents against bacteria and yeast-derived biofilms. Methods: The biofilm removal efficacy of EmpowerTM (Metrex, USA), CidezymeTM (Johnson and Johnson Medical Inc, USA), and Matrix mintTM (Whiteley Medical, Australia) were compared to that of chlorine bleach. Biofilms were produced using Staphylococcus aureus RN9120, Escherichia coli ATCC35218, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853, Candida albicans ATCC14053, and clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecalis, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida auris, and Trichosporon asahii. The organisms were suspended in tryptic soy broth (TSB) in 96-well microplates and cultured for 72 hours. They were treated with the detergents, and the residual biofilm mass was quantified using crystal violet staining followed by optical density measurements at 620 nm (OD620 ). Results: EmpowerTM and CidezymeTM significantly reduced the biofilm mass derived from all species by > 50% of OD620 at 37ºC except those from E. faecalis, T. asahii, and C. auris. Matrix mintTM had no effect on the biofilms under any condition. Conclusion: The culture conditions and the species of the biofilm-producing organism influenced the effectiveness of the detergent. Biofilms produced by E. faecalis, C. auris, and T. asahii were resistant to all detergent treatments under all conditions.