SURFACE STERILISATION BY MISTING WITH A BIOFLAVANOID SOLUTION

Abstract

There is described a method of sterilizing surfaces using flavanoids, for example mixtures containing inter alia naringin and neohesperidin, by misting.

Claims

1. A method of sterilizing a surface of a medical establishment, a medical equipment, or ambulances, comprising misting the said surface with a composition having an effective amount of a mixture of bioflavonoids which comprises 40% to 65% of naringin and 20% to 35% neohesperidin.

2-8. (canceled)

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixture comprises at least 75% of neohesperidine and naringin.

10-13. (canceled)

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is for sterilizing surfaces of a medical establishment, and wherein the medical establishment is a hospital ward, theatre, corridor or waiting area.

15-16. (canceled)

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein misting is employed to aid prevention of spread of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein misting is employed to aid prevention of spread of clostridium difficile.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a surfactant.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the composition comprises a mixture of flavanoids together with residues of extraction from bitter oranges.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixture of flavanoids comprises HPLC-45%.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surfaces is exposed to the composition for 2 minutes to 20 minutes.

23. (canceled)

24. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ambulance may be occupied during treatment or may be re-occupied promptly following treatment.

25. (canceled)

26. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein misting is employed to aid prevention of spread of helicobacter pyroli.

27. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein misting is employed to aid prevention of spread of vancomycin resistant enterobacteria.

28. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the misting is in the form of droplets of between 0.5 to 5?.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0047] Water was added to a beaker and stirring commenced. Keltrol CG-SFT (9.0 g; 1.8%) was added and stirring continued until dissolved. Citrox HXT powder (2.5 g; 0.5%) was added and stirring continued until dissolved. Glycerol (5.0 g; 1.0%) was added and stirring continued until dissolved. (The water was sufficient to make up to 100%).

[0048] The resulting viscous gel was de-aerated. The pH was 4-5. The viscosity 7000-10000 cp at 20? C. (spindle 4/0 rpm). The pH may be adjusted with citric acid if required to bring it within the stated range.

[0049] Citrox HXT powder comprises on a wt/wt basis 7.5% HPLC 45%, citric acid 30%, willow bark extract 50% and olea Europeae extract 12.5%.

[0050] HPLC-45% contained 45% by weight of a mixed of flavanoids together with residues of extraction from bitter oranges.

[0051] The mixture of flavanoids in HPLC-45 comprises:

TABLE-US-00001 % in HPLC 45 (bioflavonoid Bioflavonoid component + biomass) Neoeriocitrin 1.1 Isonaringin 1.2 Naringin 23.4 Hesperidin 1.4 Neohesperidin 12.5 Neodiosmin 1.4 Naringenin 1.5 Poncirin 2.0 Other 0.5 (Rhiofolin) Total 45% of HPLC 45

EXAMPLE 2

[0052] Water was added to a beaker and stirring commenced. Keltrol CG-SFT (9 g, 1.8%), Plantacare 2000 (67.8 g, 13.6%), Tego Betain F50 (10 g, 2%), glycerol (10 g, 2%) and Citrox HXT powder were sequentially added with stirring until complete dissolution occurred prior to adding subsequent ingredients. (The water was sufficient to make up to 100%).

[0053] The product was a clear viscous gel, pH 4.8 to 5 was a viscosity of about 4000 cp at 20? C. (spindle 4/10 rpm).

[0054] Citrox HXT powder and Keltrol CG-SFT were as described in Example 1.

[0055] Plantacare 2000 is an aqueous solution containing 6.78 g of C.sub.8-C.sub.16 fatty alcohol polyglycoside.

[0056] Tego Betain F50 is an aqueous solution containing 3.22 g of cocamidopropyl betaine.

EXAMPLE 3

[0057] This was prepared by mixing as described in Example 1.

TABLE-US-00002 Salicylic acid 0.25% Citric acid 0.15% HPLC 45% 0.0375% Betafin BP20 1.0% Glycerine 0.5% Dermosoft GMCY 1.0% Water 97.0%

EXAMPLE 4

[0058] This was prepared by mixing as described in Example 1.

TABLE-US-00003 Keltrol CG-SFT 1.7% HPLC 45% 0.0375% Citric acid 0.15% Salicylic acid 0.25% Dermosoft GMCY 1.0% Glycerine 1.0% Water 95.8%

EXAMPLE 5

[0059]

TABLE-US-00004 Keltrol CG-SFT 1.8% Plantacare 2000 13.56% Tego Betain F50 9.48% Glycerine 1.0% HPLC 45% 0.0375% Citric acid 0.15% Salicylic acid 0.25% Dermosoft GMCY 1.0% Water 72.66%

[0060] When used herein HPLC 45% means a mixture containing 45% of bioflavanoids and 55% of other matter from extraction of bitter oranges. The bioflavanoids comprised naringin (about 52%), neohesperidin 28%, poncirin (4%), naringenin (3%), hesperidin (3%), neodiosmin (3%), isonaringin (3%), isocriocrin (2%), other minor to 100%.

EXAMPLE 6

[0061] Example 5 is repeated by adding choline chloride (1.25 g; 0.25%) after the keltrol and stirring until dissolved.

EXAMPLE 7

[0062] Compositions formulated as exemplified in PCT/GB2007/002756 and PCT/GB2007/002758 are misted from a misting device.

EXAMPLE 8

[0063] Compositions 1 to 6 are misted from a misting device.

[0064] A commercial hand held misting device is used to direct mist at the surfaces in an ambulance and to the air space. The misting is continued until the operative is satisfied surfaces have been thoroughly treated.

[0065] The ambulance may be occupied twenty minutes after the completion of the misting.

EXAMPLE 9

[0066] A composition described in Example 1 was used to mist a microbiological research laboratory to reduce biological contamination. The misting was performed for three hours. If entry to the laboratory had become necessary, this would have been possible owing to the lack of significant toxicity of the mist. A conventional commercial misting device was employed.

[0067] The Nebulair was turned on each night for three hours in a sealed room over a 16 day period. A 1% aqueous solution of HPLC-45 as described in Example 1 was used between day 1 and 7 and was then increased to a 2% aqueous solution. An area of 100 cm.sup.2 was swabbed using a saturated swab and added to a sterile tube containing 3 ml maximum recovery diluent (MRD). The tubes were vortexed for 20 seconds and then left to stand for 20 minutes. The swabs were removed and 100 ?l (Day 0 and Day 1) or 200 ?l (Day3, 9, 11, and 16) of MRD was spread on TSB agar plates. A clean swap was used as a control. The plates were incubated at 37? C. for 24 hours and the average number of colonies per plate was recorded.

TABLE-US-00005 Colony Forming Units (CFU) per 100 cm.sup.2 Day 0 Day 1 Day 3 Day 9 Day 11 Day 16 Computer 3600 435 195 285 97.5 90 Desk 1 600 45 15 15 7.5 0 Desk 2 60 0 15 7.5 15 7.5 Desk 3 150 45 75 7.5 7.5 0 Desk 4 150 15 15 7.5 7.5 0 Under 150 15 30 0 0 0 Desk Bin 510 240 45 22.5 22.5 15 Sink 1890 570 172.5 82.5 210 127.5 Centrifuge 210 45 90 37.5 15 0 Extractor 255 225 15 45 15 15 fan Water 660 90 30 22.5 22.5 7.5 Bath Note: Bioflavanoid mixture concentration increased from 1% to 2% after day 7 Day 0 indicates contamination levels before misting treatment

EXAMPLE 10

[0068] The surface of a hospital mattress was misted with either 3% or 5% aqueous solutions of HPLC-45 (see Example 1) for 3 hours from a commercial dry misting nebulisor (Nebulair). The misting in both cases was effective in reducing the presence of multiple resistant staphylococcus aurous to a greater extent than was achieved by the hospitals conventional treatment.