ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1570334
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Approaches to Preventing and Treating Biofilm-Associated InfectionsView all 5 articles
Assessment of the anti-biofilm effect of UV-C irradiation (254nm) against Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) related microorganisms
Provisionally accepted
Francesco Palma1Marta Díaz-Navarro2Andrés Visedo2Pablo Sanz-Ruíz3
Giorgio Brandi1
Giuditta Fiorella Schiavano1*Maria Guembe2- 1University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
- 2Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- 3Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Gregorio Marañón Hospital, Madrid, Catalonia, Spain
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Introduction: Biofilm-related Multidrug Resistance (MDR) is a major problem in healthcareassociated infections (HAI). Hospital surface decontamination is essential to ensure the safety of patients and to eliminate the dissemination of MDR pathogens. New eco-friendly decontamina tion technologies, such as UV-C irradiation, are only gaining popularity now, but their use against the biofilm of common microorganisms causing HAI has not been properly assessed. We aimed to assess the efficacy of UV-C irradiation (254nm) in a 2-phase study by assessing its anti-biofilm effect against sessile cells from microorganisms of hospital interest.The following strains were tested: methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA)(ATCC 29213), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ATCC 43300), Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442, and Candida albicans (ATCC 14053), and a clinical strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. First, the tested Eliminato: m strains' UV-susceptibility was evaluated through irradiation tests on plates using different UV doses, considering both planktonic and 24h-biofilm states. Second, the anti-biofilm effect of UV-C was evaluated on stainless steel discs contaminated with a 24h-biofilm of each strain.Re sults: With a UV dose of 946.7 mJ/cm 2 , the UV-C irradiation on MSSA ATCC 29213, MRSA ATCC 43300, and MRSE biofilm showed a log 10 reduction of 4.34 ± 0.70, 4.70 ± 0.60, and 4.85 ± 0.98, respectively, while C. albicans ATCC 14053 showed higher UV-resistance in 24h-biofilm state, being the log 10 reduction of 3.17 ± 0.08. Against Gram negative bacteria biofilm, a UV dose of 467.8 mJ/cm 2 was enough to achieve a microbial titer <1 CFU/mL. Regarding the 24h-biofilm on discs, a log 10 reduction >3 logs was achieved with all microorganisms applying a UV dose of 946.7 mJ/cm 2 .The application of UV-C irradiation could be a valid additional approach in the management of biofilm HAI.
Keywords: UV-C, Biofilm, Hospital surface, disinfe ction, he althcare -associated infe ction
Received: 06 Feb 2025; Accepted: 04 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Palma, Díaz-Navarro, Visedo, Sanz-Ruíz, Brandi, Schiavano and Guembe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Giuditta Fiorella Schiavano, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
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