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Antibiotic resistance has become a significant topic of importance as antibiotic resistance threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria. Given the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, environmental cleaning and disinfection can play an important role in helping to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. As such, there is a growing body of evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of environmental cleaning and disinfection as part of multimodal strategies to reduce pathogen transmission, prevent infections and improve patient outcomes.

Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) is a Health Canada and EPA registered disinfectant which continues to gain popularity as one of the most effective and safest disinfectant chemistries in the market. AHP® is highlighted in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) as the product with a perfect balance between efficacy, safety and compatibility, revealing the technologies potential within compound pharmacy. In the latest revision of Hazardous Drugs - Handling in Healthcare Settings, hydrogen peroxide was frequently mentioned as an effective chemistry for the deactivation of hazardous drugs (HDs), which reinforces AHP® as an accepted disinfectant in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) is continuing to gain popularity as one of the most effective and safest disinfectant chemistries. AHP® is highlighted in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) as THE product with a perfect balance between efficacy, safety and compatibility, revealing the technologies potential within compound pharmacy. The inclusion of AHP® in the most recent USP edition reinforces AHP® as an accepted disinfectant in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Guidelines of cleaning and disinfecting of compound pharmacies and how AHP plays a role.

A review of the new USP 800 and how AHP relates

"An important factor to consider concerning environmental surface asepsis is the length of time surfaces remain wet after application of a disinfectant. In this study 7 disinfectant wipes were evaluated for their ability to maintain wetness when using a designated contact time. AHP was the only product that was able to remain wet long enough to reach the contact time"

This study assessed the efficacy of a new Activated Hydrogen Peroxide Wipe and showed the product to be effective.A new activated hydrogen peroxide wipe disinfectant was used to disinfect 10 high-touch surfaces in 72 patient rooms. After cleaning, 99% of surfaces yielded less than 2.5 colony-forming units/cm(2), 75% yielded no growth, and 70% yielded adenosine triphosphate counts of less than 250 relative light units. The new disinfectant was highly effective.

This article reviews the 5 key criteria that should be used when evaluating disinfectant products today.

Much less is known still about microorganisms’ reduced sensitivity to germicides such as surface disinfectants. There have been some studies indicating that imprudent use of chemicals can encourage the beginning stages of resistance, but experts have not reached consensus on this issue. However, daily environmental surface disinfection can reduce the amount of antibiotic resistant pathogens in the healthcare environment and help prevent their spread.

A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection showed that AHP pre-saturated disinfecting wipes are able to produce a 7.0 log reduction of the test bacteria on the tested surface with a 10 second contact time. Additionally, AHP the only disinfectant wipe that prevented the spread of bacteria to other surfaces.

While mechanical cleaning with a GCP may physically remove harmful pathogens from a surface, effective control against the spread of infection truly requires the use of EPA or DIN registered disinfectants

The pH is relevant, because it shows us if the solution is acidic, neutral or alkaline but a pH value alone is not the sole indicator in determining the strength of different types of acids

Drs. Crawford and Weese looked at various strategies for reprocessing ETs, including using AHP.

The objective of this study was to determine the antifungal efficacy of six kennel disinfectants against a robust challenge of naturally infective material

Dermatophytosis (ringworm), in pets is a skin condition typically cased by fungal infections, more specifically Microsporum canis and Trichophyton sp. Disinfectants, especially sodium hypochlorite (bleach), are commonly used to kill spores not removed during the "hard" cleaning process. Bleach is commonly recommended in the fight against ringworm for its known ability to kill spores. However, it is widely recognized that bleach degrades if not used by the expiry date impacting its efficacy, requires the use of personal protective equipment (as it is a respiratory irritant and can cause damage to the skin and eyes) and has corrosive properties that are known to cause damage to fabrics and surfaces. As a result, a comprehensive analysis was undertaken to determine if Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) would be a suitable alternative to sodium hypochlorite.

Dermatophytosis (ringworm), a highly contagious skin infection, is caused by fungus leading to a circular rash on animals and humans. Due to the highly contagious nature of dermatophytosis, proper disinfection of affected surfaces is essential. This study considers a relatively new yet proven chemistry, broadly used in healthcare facilities, known as Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®), in contrast with current chemistries that have known shortcomings.

On Friday December 8th 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a “substantial investment in public funds” to clean up dangerous chemicals in the environment. The list of chemicals includes some already proven harmful to animals and suspected to be potentially harmful to human health. Every two or three months, a list of suspect chemicals will be released in groups of 15 to 30. Industry and stakeholders will be required, within six months, to provide information the government about the chemicals. If the government is not satisfied by the response, industry will be required to take action which in some cases may mean industry would be required to provide alternative materials. In conjunction with the announcement, the government also launched a Chemical Substance website which details how the assessments will work and provides links to fact sheets on chemical impact to human health, and government resources and processes for managing chemical assessments. The website also includes a list of chemicals not banned but regulated and of “interest to Canadians” because of the risks associated with them. Two of these chemicals, 2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Methoxyethanol, are of significant interest to the cleaning and disinfection industry as they are commonly used as solvents in both cleaners and disinfectants.

To ensure optimal cleaning or disinfection it is important that products are used at the dilution ratio specified on the product label. From time to time Public Health or Infection Control may request that the dilution control systems be tested to confirm the products are being diluted appropriately so it is important to know how to calculate Use Dilution concentration. This document reviews the simple formulation to help you achieve proper dilution to ensure Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide's ® (AHP®) maximum efficacy.

There is much confusion among cleaning and disinfectant users regarding pH and what it means with respect to a product's cleaning or killing properties, its materials compatibility as well as its rating with regards to its toxicity / hazard profile. The intent is to dispel these misunderstandings and provide the facts to help increase your confidence in your choice of cleaning or disinfectant chemistry.

Biofilms are nothing new to our world. They can be found in any environment that has a flow of water and a contact surface. Biofilms can be deleterious or beneficial depending on where they are found and which organisms they are comprised of. As a society, however, we most commonly associate the issue of biofilms with their related infections. Examples of these are otitis media and bacterial endocarditis, which are caused by bacteria entering a fluid filled part of the body. Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) is relatively new yet proven technology that has gained a reputation as being one of the most effective yet safe technologies on the market. In fact, two studies have been conducted using AHP highlighting its ability to kill and remove biofilms. This document will help you and decision makers to better understand what Biofilms are and the relevance of using a disinfectant capable of killing and removing them.

Battling Germs That Keep Getting Stronger, an article appearing on www.cbc.ca, highlights the emergence of antibiotic resistant organisms (AROs) in the community and the potential role certain antibacterial products play in the development of such resistance. AHP surface disinfectant cleaners exhibit broad spectrum germicidal efficacy in rapid and realistic contact times. Hydrogen Peroxide, the active ingredient in Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®), does not remain on the surface once it has dried, hence it does not provide the opportunity for bacteria to develop resistance to it. Therefore, AHP surface disinfectant cleaners can be used safely and effectively to reduce bacterial contamination on surfaces.

Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) is a patented synergistic blend of commonly used, safe ingredients that when combined with low levels of hydrogen peroxide dramatically increase its germicidal potency and cleaning performance. To ensure maximum efficacy, AHP concentrated products can be diluted with automated dilution control systems. However, just as we wouldn't run our automobiles without regular oil changes and tire rotations, so to we shouldn't operate these systems without regularly scheduled preventative maintenance. This evaluation focused on an AHP disinfectant and its associated dilution system to emphasize the importance of performing quality checks on other hospital grade disinfectants that are diluted and dispensed from automated control systems.

With the advent of devastating diseases affecting the swine industry, much attention is being given to biosecurity in an effort to improve hygiene and ultimately prevent the spread of pathogens. As such, industry is looking to new chemical formulations, vetted protocols and scientific support data as a front line defense to ideally prevent disease, and when required eradicate an outbreak. This study considers a relatively new yet proven chemistry broadly used in healthcare facilities known as Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) in contrast with current chemistries that have known shortcomings. The third party study conducted by the renowned University of Iowa shows that AHP is superior to the incumbent chemistries tested.

Disease outbreaks within the swine industry can be devastating with mass economical costs. With the constant threat of disease emergence, industry is looking to new chemical formulations, vetted protocols, and scientific support as a front line of defense for their biosecurity. This study tests the efficacy of a relatively new yet proven chemistry that is broadly used in healthcare facilities known as Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®), recognized for its superior cleaning ability and realistic contact times, ensuring disinfection has taken place.

Bacterial, dermatophilosis and superficial ringworm infections are common skin diseases noted in equine dermatology. The ability to recognize and accurately diagnose the skin condition is key to selecting an appropriate and successful treatment regimen. Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) is a leading disinfectant technology in the human health market and is becoming increasingly recognized as the cleaner, faster and safer disinfectant technology within the animal health market. Known for its germicidal potency, yet incredible safety profile, this guideline validates the use of AHP within the Equine market.

Shelter facilities provide a unique challenge for cleaning and disinfection. Animals interact with surfaces within the environment in a far different way than humans and can be adversely impacted by harmful residues left behind on surfaces. Furthermore, many facilities employ volunteers who have little to no background in the safe use of chemicals. Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) offers the perfect balance between safety and efficacy, making it the ideal disinfectant chemistry for use in cleaning and disinfection of shelter facilities.

Effective decontamination of animal holding environments is critical for providing high quality patient care and maintaining a safe working environment. Disinfection of animal holding environments is a significant challenge during times of epidemic disease. This study considers a relatively new yet proven technology Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) in the battle against microbes, as an alternative to legacy disinfectant chemistries with known shortcomings.

Routine detection of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PEDv) is currently limited to RT-PCR testing, as it is the only test method that can directly detect PEDv. Because RT-PCR only detects the viral RNA, a positive RT-PCR result only indicates the presence of PEDv viral RNA, but does not mean viable and infectious virus is present. Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide®(AHP®) is a relatively new yet proven technology that is capable of disinfecting PEDv but may still leave inactivated RNA strands on surfaces, and therefore has a history of producing RT-PCR positive test results. In this study AHP was tested along with a number of other disinfectant actives as agents against PEDv using RT-PCR. Positive RT-PCR results were tested to show how AHP was able to fully inactivate any remaining RNA on the surface. Therefore AHP can be used as an alternative disinfectant that is effective against PEDv without the negative toxicity, environmental, safety and compatibility profiles.

Environmental disinfection is an important component of the prevention and control of dermatophytosis and is of particular importance in facilities housing large numbers of animals such as shelters and boarding kennels. Many factors need to be considered when selecting a kennel disinfectant including, but not limited to, efficacy, lack of toxicity or irritancy to animals and workers, cost, ease of application, and lack of corrosiveness to surfaces. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis was undertaken to determine if Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) would be a suitable alternative to other chemistries with known limitations.

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) continue to be a threat to the poultry industry. Since 2004, there have been at least 6 outbreaks of AIV infection in Canada, and several of these occurred in regions where winter temperatures as low as -20°C are common. Canada’s eradication policy to control these outbreaks requires euthanizing all birds on infected premises, safely disposing of carcasses and wastes, and then cleaning and decontamination of buildings, vehicles and equipment.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an accelerated hydrogen peroxide® (AHP®) - based disinfectant against high consequence foreign animal disease pathogens such as foot-and mouth disease virus (FMDV) and swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV), as well as Senecavirus A (SVA), which causes similar lesions as FMDV and SVDV.

Disinfectant footmats and footbaths may be helpful, but are not absolute methods, for eliminating contamination on footwear in veterinary hospital environments. While disinfectant footmats may be considered reliable in decreasing footwear contamination, the magnitude of these decreases is limited. Disinfectant efficacy would likely be improved by the removal of organic debris before disinfection or increasing contact time, however, the study was designed to emulate common practice in livestock hospitals where footmats are utilized to decrease trafficking of microorganisms on footwear as personnel move throughout the facility.

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats is a fungus that grows on a bats nose, wings and ears and is highly transmissible between bats and also by human-assisted transmission from cave to cave. Caving is becoming more popular, either from a scientific point of view or recreationally. The fungus is causing severe mortality within bat populations across the United States and eastern Canada.

Chemotherapy molecules are known to be highly resistant to inactivation by chemical disinfectants. In order to protect personnel preparing chemotherapy drugs, choosing a disinfectant with the ability to cleanse or degrade chemotherapy agents is an essential.