Progress on Research and Application of Antibacterial Fabrics in Control and Prevention of Nosocomial Infection

Nosocomial infections occur in hospitals all around the world. In order to control and reduce the incidence of exogenous nosocomial infection, as well as the adverse consequence or the waste of medical resources, more and more attention has been paid to medical fabrics for environmental intervention. Due to its loose and porous structure, fabric fibers provide a favorable condition for microbial adhesion and reproduction. Medical fabrics are often seriously polluted by microorganisms and even pathogenic bacteria during the use of medical fabrics. The detection of drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and Clostridium difficile were also reported. These pathogenic microorganisms may spread frequently with patients and medical staffs, and may result in a high risk exposure to weak patients caused by personnel activities and the contaminated hospital environment. The development of antibacterial fabrics and its application in the control and prevention of infection in hospital are reviewed in this paper.