Copper killer

Researchers at Southampton University have established that copper surfaces can inactivate the virulent hospital superbug Clostridium difficile.

The team, led by Prof Bill Keevil of the School of Biological Sciences, showed that C. difficile microbes placed on copper alloy surfaces died within one or two days. On a stainless steel surface, the bacteria were still alive after a week.

C. difficile forms spores which are resistant to a range of disinfectants, including alcohol gel, which is recommended for routine use in hospitals. These spores can live in the environment for a long time and are rapidly becoming a major cause of hospital acquired infections.

Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency show an alarming 72 per cent increase in deaths from C. difficile. The numbers have risen from 3,757 in 2005 to 6,480 in 2006.

The Southampton research team has already shown how effective copper can be in combating the MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureaus) hospital bug. Exceptionally high levels of MRSA microbes were eliminated within 90 minutes of contact with a copper surface. In the same tests, the bacteria remain alive on stainless steel surfaces for up to three days.