ArticlePloS one2014
Hard surface biocontrol in hospitals using microbial-based cleaning products.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- How long do bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses retain their replication capacity on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review examining environmental resilience versus healthcare-associated infection risk by "fomite-borne risk assessment".Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Bioprinted core-shell living material platform for spatially controlled encapsulation ofBioactive materials · 2027Article
- Article
- Antimicrobial Peptides as Next-Generation Disinfectants: Tackling Biocide and Antimicrobial Resistance in Hospital Hygiene - A Narrative Review.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Photodynamic inactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by broad-spectrum visible light.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Harnessing probiotics and bacteriophages to fight Salmonella and limit the use of antibiotics in broilers: a study in commercial conditions.Poultry science · 2025Article
- Probiotic-Based Cleaning Solutions: From Research Hypothesis to Infection Control Applications.Biology · 2025Review
- Risk analysis approaches for microbial ingredients in microbial-based cleaning products.Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis · 2025Article
- Microbes as Teachers: Rethinking Knowledge in the Anthropocene.Microbial biotechnology · 2025Review
- Probiotic-Based Approaches for Sustainable Control of Infectious Risk in Mass Transport: Current Data and Future Perspectives.Microbial biotechnology · 2025Review
- Profiling the resistome and virulome of Bacillus strains used for probiotic-based sanitation: a multicenter WGS analysis.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- A Sustainable Combined Approach to Control the Microbial Bioburden in the School Environment.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Bacillus Genotypes Exhibit Antagonistic Effects on Lettuce-Based Enterobacter Pathotypes.Current microbiology · 2025Article
- Environmental hygiene and healthcare-associated infection: a time-series study based on generalized additive model.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Can probiotics trigger a paradigm shift for cleaning healthcare environments? A narrative review.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2024Review
- In-hospital areas with distinct maintenance and staff/patient traffic have specific microbiome profiles, functions, and resistomes.mSystems · 2024Article
- Tackling transmission of infectious diseases: A probiotic-based system as a remedy for the spread of pathogenic and resistant microbes.Microbial biotechnology · 2024Review
- Shared governance in the plant holobiont and implications for one health.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2024Article
- Biocontrol in built environments to reduce pathogen exposure and infection risk.The ISME journal · 2024Review
- A critical assessment of microbial-based antimicrobial sanitizing of inanimate surfaces in healthcare settings.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Review
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHealthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are one of the most frequent complications occurring in healthcare facilities. Contaminated environmental surfaces provide an important potential source for transmission of many healthcare-associated pathogens, thus indicating the need for new and sustainable strategies.
aimThis study aims to evaluate the effect of a novel cleaning procedure based on the mechanism of biocontrol, on the presence and survival of several microorganisms responsible for HAIs (i.e. coliforms, Staphyloccus aureus, Clostridium difficile, and Candida albicans) on hard surfaces in a hospital setting.
methodsThe effect of microbial cleaning, containing spores of food grade Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus megaterium, in comparison with conventional cleaning protocols, was evaluated for 24 weeks in three independent hospitals (one in Belgium and two in Italy) and approximately 20000 microbial surface samples were collected.
resultsMicrobial cleaning, as part of the daily cleaning protocol, resulted in a reduction of HAI-related pathogens by 50 to 89%. This effect was achieved after 3-4 weeks and the reduction in the pathogen load was stable over time. Moreover, by using microbial or conventional cleaning alternatively, we found that this effect was directly related to the new procedure, as indicated by the raise in CFU/m2 when microbial cleaning was replaced by the conventional procedure. Although many questions remain regarding the actual mechanisms involved, this study demonstrates that microbial cleaning is a more effective and sustainable alternative to chemical cleaning and non-specific disinfection in healthcare facilities.
conclusionsThis study indicates microbial cleaning as an effective strategy in continuously lowering the number of HAI-related microorganisms on surfaces. The first indications on the actual level of HAIs in the trial hospitals monitored on a continuous basis are very promising, and may pave the way for a novel and cost-effective strategy to counteract or (bio)control healthcare-associated pathogens.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.