COLD STERILANT FOR FIELD MEDICAL USE

EARLIER WORK HAD SHOWN THAT THERE EXISTS A SYNERGISTIC EFFECT BETWEEN QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS AND CHLORINE DIOXIDE (US PATENT 4,073,888 TO PETTIBONE LABORATORIES, A SUBSIDIARY OF INTERNATIONAL DIOXCIDE, INC.) THIS COMPOSITION IS A SOLUTION WHICH RECENTLY WAS SHOWN TO PASS THE SUTURE LOOP TEST (AOAC SPOROCIDAL OFFICIAL METHOD) IN 6-9 HOURS INDICATING THE COMPOSITION TO BE SPOROCIDAL AND A COLD STERILANT. IN THIS PROJECT, WE PROPOSE TO FORMULATE A POWDERED COLD STERILANT CONSISTING OF (L) A POWDERED QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SALT, (2) A POWDERED CHLORINE DIOXIDE PRECURSOR AND (3) A POWDERED SURFACE ACTIVE AGENT FOR REDUCTION OF SURFACE TENSION. SEVERAL POWDERED QUATS WILL BE EVALUATED IN THE ABOVE FORMULATION AS WILL THE POWDERED SURFACTANTS. THE POWDER FORMULATIONS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR (1) COMPATIBILITY AND LONG TERM STORAGE STABILITY, (2) SOLUBILITY, (3) HOMOGENEITY OF THE SOLUTION (NO IMMISCIBILITY), (4) SPOROCIDAL PROPERTIES AS A FUNCTION OF CONCENTRATION AND TIME. THE SPECTRUM OF ACTIVITY (TIME TO KILL) WILL BE CARRIED OUT ON S. AUREUS, P. AERUGINOSA AND S. CHLOLERASIUS BY STANDARD AOAC TESTS AS WELL AS SPOROCIDAL TIMES TO KILL ON B. SUBTILIS AND C. SPOROGENES AND COMPARED TO THE COMMON STERILANTS SUCH AS GLUTERALDEHYDES BY THE AOAC SUTURE LOOP TEST. BASED ON THE RESULTS OBTAINED ON THE VARIOUS FORMULATIONS, THE BEST ONE WILL BE TESTED IN THE FULL 60 TUBE SUTURE LOOP TEST FOR SPOROCIDAL ACTIVITY AND POSSIBLE REGISTRATION BY THE EPA.