Share thisHow can we best monitor for sanitation effectiveness?”
This question was sent in by a reader and it’s one that many other people are probably dealing with as well. We asked Amy Ingraham, RLATG, with Pharmacal Research Laboratories, a leading manufacturer and supplier of high quality sanitation products developed exclusively for the laboratory animal science field, to provide a few thoughts in response to this question.
This is a great question and should be asked by every facility manager. Because “sanitation” is hard to see with the naked eye, there are a variety of methods to check for a successful sanitation procedure.
The first way to monitor is VISUAL. Does it look clean? Do you see residue?
The second step is OLFACTORY. Does it still have an odor?
The third step is MICROBIOLOGICAL MONITORING to check your sanitation program.
One method to evaluate your program is to use RODAC™ plates before and after sanitizing a surface. RODAC™ stands for Replicate Organism Detection and Counting. These plates are filled with an agar medium of trypticase soy agar and sugars. The plates are specially designed to create a meniscus for easy surface contact. Plates are generally incubated for 48 hours after exposure, and colonies are counted. Bacteria and fungal contamination are detected using RODAC™ plates.
A more comprehensive and faster method is bioluminescence using ATP (adenosine triphosphate) monitoring. ATP is the main source of energy for cells. As microbial organisms or food residue passes over a surface, ATP is left behind as a ‘footprint’ of the organism. Therefore, detection of the ATP indicates an active surface for microbial contamination (bacteria, fungal, molds, yeast, or residue that can provide food for a cell). Hand held monitoring devices give results in 10 to 30 seconds, rather than two days.
Additional reading might include:
- “Comparison of Two Sanitation Monitoring Methods in an Animal Research Facility,” Douglas L. Ednie, BA, RLATG, Ronald P. Wilson, VMD, MS, and C. Max Lang, DVM, Contemporary Topics, AALAS, Volume 37, No. 6 / November 1998
- “Bioluminescence Technology to Monitor Kennel Sanitizing Procedures,” Jesse McPherson, RLATG, and John Savarino, Operations Manager, BS, LATG, Johnson & Johnson, Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Tech Talk, Vol. 12/ No. 6 December 2007
Amy S. Ingraham, BA, RLATG, TriState Sales, has been with Pharmacal Research Laboratories for 23 years. Pharmacal Research Laboratories;1-800-243-5350; www.pharmacal.com