Bio-based Disinfectant May Reduce Hospital-acquired InfectionsBio-based Disinfectant May Reduce Hospital-acquired Infections
The new technology being tested in a Spanish hospital could prevent infections that kill tens of thousands of hospital patients each year.
October 8, 2024

A new bio-based disinfectant designed to reduce hospital-acquired infections has been developed by Spain’s AIMPLAS Plastics Technology Centre in the collaborative NOSOSENS project. The disinfectant paired with a portable electrochemical biosensor platform provides immediate detection and quantification of bacteria from the Staphylococcus aureus family.
Current diagnostic methods used in hospitals detect pathogens by means of cell culture microscopy on a monthly basis. The results become available in four to five days on average, said AIMPLAS. By contrast, the NOSOSENS detects S. aureus bacteria immediately.
Approximately four million patients acquire a healthcare-associated infection annually in the European Union, and approximately 37,000 deaths are a direct result of these infections, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In the United States, that number is much higher: Approximately 722,000 infections and 75,000 deaths are reported each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Early detection of bacterial infections and effective disinfection are key to reducing those numbers, which are projected to climb considerably — by 2050, the number of deaths caused by drug-resistant infections could reach 10 million worldwide, according to AIMPLAS.
Antimicrobial resistance, which the CDC calls one of the world’s most urgent public health problems, has prompted the use of harsher disinfectants in medical facilities. They may cause long-term damage to surfaces, however, and cannot be included in daily cleaning protocols in healthcare facilities, said AIMPLAS. The solution proposed by the NOSOSENS project is bio-based and biodegradable, making it less aggressive and environmentally gentler.
The bio-based disinfectant eliminates main pathogens on a flexible and portable biosensor platform. It uses printed electrochemical sensors for the rapid, selective detection of S. aureus, which is resistant to methicillin and responsible for 11% of hospital-acquired infections. The platform includes a monitoring, management, and display system to process data and issue alerts.
The bio-based disinfectant and NOSOSENS platform will be tested at the University Hospital in Valencia, Spain.
The publicly funded research was conducted with the participation of the Fundación de Investigación Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, the AIMPLAS Plastics Technology Centre, the companies Química Deambla-Rogemar and Crespo Printing Group, coordinated by the Assessoria de Gestió y Comunicacions (AGC).
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