Bactericidal polyurethane foam mattresses: Microbiological characterization and effectiveness

The antimicrobial compounds 2.4.4.″-tricloro-2″ hydroxydiphenyl ether (triclosan), 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (isothiazolone) and bis(2-pyridylthio)zinc 1,1′-dioxide (zinc pyrithione) were incorporated into polyurethane foam matrixes. Concentrations of 0.20 wt.%, 0.50 wt.% and 1.00 wt.% of each biocide compound were used, and the infection reduction capacity was evaluated for different types of bacteria. The microbiological tests with polyurethane foams were performed with agar diffusion tests using the pour plate technique and analyzing the colony formation units (CFU) as a function of time. In preliminary tests, the micro-organisms Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella choleraesuis and Staphylococcus aureus were used. Tests in vitro showed that polyurethane foam containing zinc pyrithione gave the best performance. Genotoxicity tests were conducted to evaluate if the use of zinc pyrithione in the polyurethane causes harm to human users. Microbiological tests were also performed on the surfaces of mattresses that were produced with polyurethane foam to verify their antimicrobial properties. The significant decrease in the number of micro-organisms within the foam showed the effectiveness of the zinc pyrithione as an antimicrobial, while the genotoxicity tests demonstrated the absence of collateral effects for the users.