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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 2 4 staff) began to track infection rates. Sampling in the MICU rooms continued at the same frequency and everything appeared as if nothing had changed. Cli- nicians, meanwhile, followed National Healthcare Safety Network definitions to evaluate and diagnose each case, knowing neither the patient’s identi- ty nor the type of room in which they stayed. Demographics between the two patient groups were comparable. Over the course of the study, the clinicians determined that 10 out of 294 patients in copper-retrofitted rooms ac- quired infections, compared to 26 out of 320 patients cared for in standard rooms [6] . This equates to a 58% reduc- tion, a statistically significant finding with only a 1.3% chance of being a ran- dom outcome. It thus follows that the reduced rate of infection is due to the ability of copper alloy surfaces to kill bacteria each time they come into con- tact with a contaminated hand, glove, or other object. ADVANCING THE GUARD Beyond protecting patients and caregivers, deploying copper alloys to prevent the unnecessary spread of ill- ness in healthcare facilities also has the potential to thwart the emergence of new antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Hor- izontal gene transfer (HGT) between different species of bacteria is a major contributor to the development of new drug-resistant pathogens and is largely responsible for increasing the incidence of such infections worldwide. Although many studies have focused on HGT in vivo, researchers at the University of Southampton investigated gene trans- fer among microorganisms on touch surfaces, proving that copper alloys prevent that as well [7] . There are now numerous pub- lished laboratory results plus a smaller number of clinical trials indicating that copper alloys can be an effective ally in the battle against pathogen-borne disease, not just today but for years to come [8-10] . And with the rapid growth in the number of facilities testing antimi- crobial copper—including hospitals, clinics, physical fitness and sports fa- cilities, office buildings, schools, res- taurants, and even mass transit sys- tems—the evidence is likely to mount. ~AM&P For more information: Harold Mi- chels is advisor to the president of the Copper Development Association, 260 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016- 2401, 212.251.7224, harold.michels@ copperalliance.us, www.copper.org . References 1. P.J. Kuhn, Doorknobs: A Source of Nosocomial Infections, Diagnostic Medicine, http://www.antimicrobial- copper.org/sites/default/files/upload/ media-library/files/pdfs/uk/scientific_ literature/kuhn-doorknob.pdf, 1983. 2. J.O. Noyce, H. Michels, and C.W. Keevil, Potential Use of Copper Surfac- es to Reduce Survival of Epidemic Meth- icillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in the Healthcare Environment, J Hosp Infect, Vol 63, p 289-297, 2006. 3. CDA press release: U.S. EPA Ap- proves Registration of Antimicro- bial Copper Alloys, https://www. copper.org/about/pressreleases/2008/ pr2008_Mar_25.html, 2008. 4. R.D. Scott, The Direct Medical Cost of Healthcare-Associated Infections in U. S. Hospitals and the Benefits of Pre- vention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CS200891-A, 2009. 5. M.G. Schmidt, et al., Sustained Reduction of Microbial Burden on Common Hospital Surfaces Through In- troduction of Copper, J Clin Microbiol, Vol 50, p 2217-2223, 2012. 6. C.D. Salgado, et al., Copper Surfac- es Reduce the Rate of Healthcare-Ac- quired Infections in the Intensive Care Unit, Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol Off J Soc Hosp Epidemiol Am, Vol 34, p 479- 486, 2013. 7. S.L. Warnes, C.J. Highmore, and C.W. Keevil, Horizontal Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes on Abiotic Touch Sur- faces: Implications for Public Health, mBio Amer Soc Microbiology, Vol 3, p 9-12, 2012. 8. H.T. Michels, et al., From Laboratory Research to a Clinical Trial: Copper Al- loy Surfaces Kill Bacteria and Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections, Health Environments Research & Design Jour- nal, Vol 9, p 64-79, 2015. 9. H.T. Michels and C.A. Michels, Cop- per Alloys—The New “Old” Weapon in the Fight Against Infectious Disease, Curr Trends Microbiol, Vol 10, p 23-46, 2016. 10. H.T. Michels and C.A. Michels, Poten- tial of Copper Alloys to Kill Bacteria and Reduce Infection Rates, Internal Medi- cine Review, Vol 3, p 1-16, 2017. Fig. 3 — Average microbial burden found at the six test sites in the standard and copper- retrofitted rooms after 43 months of sampling.