Improved method for tuberculocidal and mycobactericidal activity testing of disinfectants based on the European Standard 14348.

Summary Safe measurements to prevent the transmission of (multi-drug-resistant) mycobacteria such as disinfection are essential in healthcare settings. In Europe chemical disinfectants are tested for their tuberculocidal and mycobactericidal efficacy by the internationally accepted test procedure described in EN 14348. However, especially for amine-based disinfectants, invalid results can occur by this procedure due to insufficient neutralization. In this multi-lab study the procedure described in EN 14348 was optimized by a combination of chemical neutralization and membrane filtration in order to obtain a valid and secure method especially for amine-based disinfectants.