Methods to assess antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral surfaces in relation to touch and droplet transfer: a review, gap-analysis and suggested approaches

TL;DR

This paper reviews methods to test antimicrobial surfaces and highlights gaps in testing fungi and viruses, suggesting improvements for real-world applications.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review and gap analysis of antimicrobial testing methods, proposing modifications for better real-world simulation.

Findings

Current methods for testing antimicrobial efficacy often lack realism for end-use applications.

Testing methods for fungi and viruses are generally underdeveloped compared to bacteria.

Modifications to existing methods are suggested for applications like medical touch screens and transport textiles.

Abstract

To help assess whether a potentially antimicrobial material, surface, or coating provides antimicrobial efficacy, a number of standardised test methods have been developed internationally. Ideally, these methods should generate data that supports the materials efficacy when deployed in the intended end-use application. These methods can be categorised based on their methodological approach such as suspension tests, agar plate/zone diffusion tests, surface inoculation tests, surface growth tests or surface adhesion tests. To support those interested in antimicrobial coating efficacy, this review brings together an exhaustive list of methods (for porous and non-porous materials), exploring the methodological and environmental parameters used to quantify antibacterial, antifungal, or antiviral activity. This analysis demonstrates that antimicrobial efficacy methods that test either fungi or viruses are generally lacking, whilst methods that test bacteria, fungi and viruses are not designed to simulate end-use/lack realistic conditions. As such, a number of applications for antimicrobial activity across medical touch screens, medical textiles and gloves and transport seat textiles are explored as example applications, providing guidance on modifications to existing methods that may better simulate the intended end-use of antimicrobial materials.

Figures