Professor Per Saris: Antibacterial patient clothing is like a big band-aid

Medanta has been conducting research and development in collaboration with microbiology professor Per Saris for a couple of years now. Saris is a professor at the University of Helsinki's Department of Microbiology in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry and values cooperation with companies.

“The university has three main tasks: teaching, research, and societal impact, which is what our cooperation with various companies represents. Students also benefit from this activity: they learn how things are done in companies. In my own faculty, I think I am one of the most active in maintaining corporate partnerships,” says Saris.

Hospital hygiene is not just the hygiene nurse’s concern — the responsibility belongs to everyone

“Textiles have a lot of potential in infection control. In a hospital environment, antibacterial textiles are particularly useful for patient clothing. The surface of the garment is in close contact with the patient's skin, and if, for example, they have bedsores, an antibacterially treated garment may potentially accelerate wound healing – it acts as a kind of large bandage. This is well-known, as fabric bandages and dressings have been used in healthcare for a long time, and some of them contain substances that are antimicrobial and promote healing.

In general, it is important to realize that infections must be controlled in many ways. Overall hygiene is created by building enough different barriers for bacteria so that they cannot spread and multiply. A garment alone is not effective enough to prevent the spread of bacteria on its own, but it can be a good addition to all of this.

The most important thing is hand hygiene: hands must be washed frequently and dried thoroughly. Cleanliness is also affected by not touching your nose or the area around your eyes and mouth with your hands during work tasks – or if you do, you must wash your hands immediately.

In a kitchen environment, antibacterial textiles work best exactly where the ‘hands are at’. I estimate that, for example, the side towel used by chefs should be made of antibacterially treated fabric because a chef often wipes their hands on it. Hands also often touch the apron, so there can be benefits to an antibacterial treatment there as well.”

Hospital and restaurant environments differ in terms of bacterial spread

“Hand hygiene is particularly important in both of these environments. In hospitals, antibacterial textiles are more important because there are many people with weakened immune systems. In hospitals, the spread of infections could be significantly prevented just by replacing door handles with copper handles. Copper is an antibacterial substance in itself.

The people who visit restaurants are mostly healthy and stay for a relatively short time. Infections do not spread easily there also because trained staff know how food should be prepared and stored. In fact, you generally get safer food in restaurants than at home, as industry professionals have better knowledge of hygiene than those cooking in home kitchens.

Nowadays, there is a lot of talk in the media about superbugs, but I emphasize that actual superbugs do not really exist. Some bacteria have just developed more resistance to certain antibiotics when they have been stressed by drugs enough. If the use of an antibiotic is stopped for a long time, resistance no longer provides a competitive advantage for the bacterium, and its significance diminishes.”

Hospital clothing as part of infection control — why clothing choices matter

“Many users have noticed that antibacterial workwear does not absorb as much sweat odor as regular outfits. This property could be utilized elsewhere as well, for example in shoe inner textiles and insoles.

The antibacterial property also has other benefits. The treatment can, for example, prevent fabric bolts and garments from becoming moldy during long transport and storage. This is very important from a commercial point of view, regarding textile production and logistics: textiles are shipped over long distances and are transported and stored, for example, in shipping containers.”

Which industries are suitable for antibacterial workwear?

“Antibacterial properties in textiles have traditionally been based on the use of silver and copper compounds. Now, as new features, we are investigating the potential of wood-based substances, such as resin, in combating bacteria.

Together with Medanta, we have studied the bacterial concentrations of workwear after a workday. Next, we will examine the bacterial concentrations of patient and bed linen after eight hours of use. We will get more detailed information about that in the spring of 2019.”