38.1 Introduction
There has been a dramatic increase in the usage of chemical biocides (i.e.
disinfectants, antiseptics and sanitisers) in the food, water and pharmaceutical
industries, and in the healthcare and domiciliary environments. The need to
reduce and control nosocomial infection (Favero, 2002) and to improve product
quality and overall hygiene, for example, in the food industry (Langsrudet al.,
2003) has been particularly well reported and advertised among governmental
agencies, health authorities and the public. Public knowledge in particular and a
better commitment to overall hygiene (Bloomfield, 2002) have contributed to
the increased usage of chemical biocides in the home environment, although this
has been subjected to controversies (Levy, 2001). With such an increase in the
number of products available for disinfection and sanitation, it is essential that
the end users can select a product that is appropriate for their needs, but more
importantly that the product specification from the manufacturer or supplier,
particularly its antimicrobial efficacy, is accurate. Protocols for testing the
antimicrobial efficacy of disinfectants and sanitisers are therefore essential to
provide reliable information on the efficacy of an antimicrobial product and
provide assurance for the end users. However, there are no internationally
agreed standard protocols and often countries have their own government
laboratory testing with their own standards, although in Europe, CEN/TC216
(the European Committee for Standardisation) aims to produce current and
future European disinfectant testing standards (Holah, 2003). Test methodology
can range from basic preliminary suspension tests to more complex protocols
that simulate conditions in practice. The aims of this chapter are to provide
information on the factors that affect biocide efficacy and test reproducibility, to
38 Testingthe effectivenessof disinfectantsand sanitisers
J.-Y. Maillard, Cardiff University, UK