THE BUG WARS
A REVOLUTIONARY new concept in the battle to help banish dangerous germs such as MRSA and E-coli from our homes and hospitals is underway.
Rather than blasting bugs with harsh chemicals, scientists have discovered that the answer to cleaner, safer environments is not less bacteria - but more.
Ben Hoskyns, of Teesside-based Cleveland Biotech, reveals how new cleaning products containing “good” bacteria are all set to tip the balance in germ warfare – and he’s calling for hospitals to join up and trial the new technology.
But will changing people’s attitudes towards bacteria need to be the first step in winning the battle of the bugs?
THEY are the stuff of life. Everything from our digestion, the purification of our water, even the air we breathe depends on bacteria.
In fact we couldn’t survive a day without them. But thanks to the emergence of certain superbugs – bacteria get a very bad press indeed.
So the thought of spreading them liberally on every surface of your home might not, at first, seem like the best way of protecting yourself and your family.
But scientists have discovered that using good bacteria to outnumber the bad is far more effective than simply trying obliterate them all, explains Ben Hoskyns, managing director of Teesside-based Cleveland Biotech.
“Most current cleaning products aim to kill 99.9pc of household germs,” he says. “So if you wipe a disinfected cloth over a surface you leave an environment almost free of bugs. But if a bad bacterium is the first to land on the clean surface then it has no competition and could soon colonise to take up the available space.”
Ben explains that new probiotic cleaning products add a layer of good bacteria to the surface which immediately fills the gap left by cleaning. “There is simply no room for any bad bacteria to take hold. It’s nothing less than a revolution in cleaning.”
He admits that this is a concept which the public might take some getting used to, but adds: “In a way it’s no different than people accepting that probiotic drinks and yoghurts are beneficial.”
Indeed a few years ago the thought of drinking bacteria was certainly unappetizing. But today, thanks to informative campaigns, probiotic cereals, yoghurts and even drinks which encourage good bacteria to flourish in our bodies are commonplace on supermarket shelves.
So if we can learn to drink bacteria – surely simply applying them to the surfaces of our home should be less of a struggle?
“It’s the connotations of not sanitizing though,” explains Ben. “There is a scepticism that this can work and we need to get round that mindset. We need to educate people, and the cleaning industry in particular, so they understand and remember the fact that most bacteria aren’t harmful but can be beneficial.”
Initial trials of this concept were conducted by another organisation in Belgium, since which Cleveland Biotech has invested thousands in research and development into probiotic cleaning products. Ben is now calling for clinical trial sites, such as hospitals and GP surgeries to come forward. He says the trials will help educate the public about good bacteria and change attitudes towards cleaning.
“There will be many practical uses for these products such as homes and restaurants for example but it will be hospitals perhaps where the greatest benefits will be seen for the most people.”
The Belgian trial, a large scale clinical trial at the city hospital of Lokeren demonstrated that probiotic cleaning efficiently controlled multiple hospital bacteria. On average 80pc less MRSA and other pathogens were measured during several months of trial.
“This is an environmental revolution,” says Ben. “I am convinced that infection rates will fall. I would welcome any clinical sites to come forward to be part of our UK trials.”
Ben adds that obviously there are places where a sterile environment is essential, for example operating theatres, but that most other areas in a hospital would benefit from probiotic cleaning rather than traditional methods.
“At the moment we are too clean and therefore too vulnerable to infection,” he says. “This method works. The results of the trials speak for themselves.”
Cleveland Biotech’s probiotic cleaning products are being made now in Stockton and could be launched as early as spring 2010 for the domestic market. The first products are toilet cleaners, surface and floor cleaners, and washing up liquid.
Cleveland Biotech specialise in bacterial solutions in janitorial and drainage products. The company produces products that break down fat and grease. It researches, tests and manufacturers its own products at the North east site where it has been based since 1992. The company works with a wide range of businesses, such as supermarkets, commercial kitchens, large schools and colleges, pub chains and oil refinery companies.
To find out more about Cleveland Biotech’s new probiotic cleaning products or to take part in the trials please contact Ben Hoskyns on 01642 606606.