Wipe and moistening fluid

Number of wipes tested

%R (stdev)

Rayon gauze1 (2 inch x 2 inch) + PBST

10

30.8 (15.5)

Cellulose Sponge2 + Dey Engle Broth

10

32.3 (9.7)

Cellulose Sponge2 + Butterfield buffer

10

26.8 (5.6)

Sponge Stick3+ PBST

10

36.3 (9.2)

Polyester foam sponge4 + PBST

15

26.0 (10.0)


1Kendall 8042, 2” x 2” Versalon sponges (Wound Care Shop, Indianapolis, IN) Inoculum
tested: 104 spores/ coupon
2SOLAR - CULT® Pre-Moistened Sponges (Solar Biologics, Ogdensburg, NY). Inoculum
tested: 104 spores/ coupon
3Dry Sponge-Stick with PBST added in-house (3MTM St Paul, MN). Inoculum tested:
104 spores/coupon
4Dry sponge (#SK711, Hardy Diagnostics, Santa Maria, CA) pre-moistened inhouse.
Inoculum tested: 101, 102 and 104 spores/coupon, five wipes evaluated at
each inoculums level
Table 4: Evaluation of the sampling efficiency of alternate wipes and alternate premoistening fluids. All surfaces sampled were 645 cm2 stainless steel.