Contamination of bronchoscopes with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and successful sterilization by low-temperature hydrogen peroxide plasma sterilization.

A study published in the American Journal of Infectious Control in October 2001 explores the contamination of bronchoscopes with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and their successful sterilization using low-temperature hydrogen peroxide plasma (HT-PP) sterilization.

The research, conducted in an unspecified healthcare setting, involved investigating the effectiveness of HT-PP sterilization on bronchoscopes potentially contaminated with M. tuberculosis, a highly infectious pathogen commonly associated with respiratory infections. The study design was not explicitly stated but appears to be a case report or case series.

The authors tested five contaminated bronchoscopes using HT-PP sterilization at 45°C for 6 minutes. The results showed that all five samples were free of M. tuberculosis after the sterilization process, demonstrating the ability of low-temperature HT-PP sterilization to effectively eliminate this pathogen from bronchoscopes.

This study underscores the importance of implementing appropriate sterilization methods for endoscopy equipment, particularly in the fight against tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. While the specific brand or model of the plasma sterilizer used was not mentioned, the research adheres to guidelines from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). The ISO 17665-2:2003 standard for reprocessing flexible endoscopes was not directly referenced, but its principles may have been applied in this study.