The survival of multi-drug resistant bacteria on raw Douglas fir material

Abstract

In today’s age of ecological transition, the use of materials such as renewable wood in construction is particularly relevant, but also a challenge in the healthcare sector where the hygiene dimension also comes into play. In this study we have investigated the survival of multi-resistant bacteria commonly responsible for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) (ESBL-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae and glycopeptide-resistant Enterococcus faecalis) on two different types of wood (Douglas fir : Pseudotsuga menziesii and Maritime Pine : Pinus pinaster) compared to other materials (smooth: stainless steel and rough: pumice stone) and the effect of a disinfection protocol on the bacterial survival on Pseudotsuga menziesii. Approximately 108 bacteria were inoculated on each material and bacterial survival was observed over several days (D0, D1, D2, D3, D6, D7 and D15). Each analysis was performed in triplicate for each time and material. The results show an important reduction of the bacterial inoculum for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis on Douglas fir, in contrast with the results obtained on maritime pine, stainless steel and pumice stone. No bacterial survival was detected on Douglas fir after application of a hospital disinfection protocol. These different results show that wood may have a place in the future of healthcare construction. Further studies would be interesting to better understand the different properties of wood.