Microbiologist sees “significant contribution” of Bacterlon technology in protecting against pathogens
Saarbrücken. A new scientific assessment is fuelling hope for lasting success in the fight against dangerous hospital germs. Against the background of dramatically increased infections caused by MRSA pathogens in Germany, the Saarbrücken-based biologist Dr. Thomas Jahns analysed the “potential of antimicrobially effective surfaces to reduce the transmission of pathogens” in a specialist paper. He concludes that the “Bacterlon” technology developed by Nanopool, a company specialising in surface refinement, can make a “significant contribution” to protection against pathogens. “In summary, from the numerous expert reports and investigations carried out and presented in various clinics, medical practices and care homes, as well as by independent laboratories, it can be concluded that the Bacterlon technology can make a significant contribution to lowering the rate of contact infections,” Dr. Jahns writes in his assessment.
Only recently, two scientific studies in Germany and Canada once again confirmed the effectiveness of the “Bacterlon” technology in protecting against bacteria. “It fills us with pride that our technology can contribute to preserving the health of many people,” said Nanopool managing director Sascha Schwindt after the results of two long-term investigations became known – one in a care home for the elderly in Nalbach in Saarland, the other at the University Hospital in the Canadian capital Ottawa.
In the care home run by the welfare organisation Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO), the number of pathogens on the surfaces treated with “Bacterlon” was significantly reduced during a twelve-week test. Thanks to the antimicrobial refinement with a glass-based liquid solution, the germ load on floors, furniture, door handles and light switches fell by up to 95 percent. In view of a general increase in such pathogens, which can become a danger especially for older people, as well as the growing spread of the highly contagious norovirus, the AWO is now preparing to use “Bacterlon” in further care homes.
At the hospital in Ottawa, following a successful trial run, consideration is now likewise being given to expanding the use of Nanopool’s Liquid Glass products. In Canada’s capital, a patient bed, a bedside table and door handles, among other items, were selected for the extensive investigations. Scientists from the Idexx Institute demonstrated a reduction of various bacteria by 69 to 100 percent. It was also found that the refined surfaces are easier to clean, thereby saving costs.
In November 2011, the globally active family business Nanopool® prevailed over projects by the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental and Safety Technology in Oberhausen, receiving the science award for the project “Liquid Glass against hospital germs” from the initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas” under the patronage of Federal President Christian Wulff.