JPH0823958A - Member for wiping off adhered microorganism and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the subject member for wiping off microorganisms, high in the rate for wiping and collecting microorganisms, facilitating to wash out the microorganisms, and useful for the monitoring and sanitary control of the adhered microorganisms by arranging fibers in one direction and shaping the arranged fibers. CONSTITUTION:Fibers each having a diameter of approximately 1-50mum are arranged in one direction, bundled and subsequently shaped e.g. by a method for impregnating a resin solution into the surface layer of the fiber bundle and then drying or curing the impregnated resin. When microorganisms are wiped off, water is impregnated between the fibers, and wiped and collected microorganisms are held in spaces between the fibers themselves.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to monitoring of adherent bacteria for prevention of nosocomial infection in the medical field and hygiene control of home medical care, hygiene control in the food field, environmental survey of restaurants and hotels, industrial waste disposal. The present invention relates to a member used when wiping and collecting adhering microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses for use in management and the like, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of collecting adherent bacteria when monitoring adherent bacteria, a stamp method has been widely used in which a stamp made of an agar medium is pressed against a target point and the adherent bacteria are transferred to the agar medium and collected. It has been used. However, in this method, the agar medium used as a stamp is liable to cause dew condensation on the surface of the medium, and in a wet state, the colony separation of the bacterium is deteriorated, so that there is a problem that the collection efficiency of the bacterium is likely to vary. . In addition, the agar medium adheres to the wall or floor at the time of collection, and bacteria may grow on the adhered agar medium, which may further spread contamination by the bacteria in the hospital. for that reason,
After collecting the bacteria, it is necessary to clean the sampling point.

In terms of handling, the usable agar medium has a small area, and the area of commonly used agar medium is 7 to 10 cm ² . This area is not enough as a single area to collect, and if a larger area is required to collect the bacteria, a lot of agar medium is needed, and a lot of space is required for the culture after collecting the bacteria. However, the cost will be high. If you try to collect a large area with one agar medium and repeat stamping over a large area many times, the bacteria collected once on the agar medium will be transferred to the wall or floor again with the next stamping, Accurate collection of bacteria is not possible.

Therefore, a method of collecting adherent bacteria by wiping has been proposed instead of the stamp method. This is because the member for wiping off adherent bacteria is impregnated with physiological saline or water to wipe off the bacteria, and then the member is put into the medium,
This is a method of washing out the wiped bacteria. In this method, since the medium is not used for wiping, there is no fear of secondary contamination and there is an advantage that the area for collecting bacteria can be wide.

In this method, however, rolled cotton wool or non-woven fabric has been used as a member for wiping off bacteria, and when these members are used, the collection ratio of bacteria is higher than in the conventional stamping method. However, it was still insufficient. Further, there is a drawback that the bacteria cannot be sufficiently washed out after the bacteria have been wiped off.

[0006]

The object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of collecting microorganisms in the collection of microorganisms by wiping, and to easily wash out the microorganisms.
It is to provide a member for wiping off adhered microorganisms.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of earnest research, the present invention has revealed that the use of a bundle of fibers in which the directions of fibers are aligned as a member for wiping off microorganisms increases the efficiency of wiping off microorganisms and makes the washing out easier. The inventors have found that it becomes easy and have completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention provides a member for wiping off adherent microorganisms, characterized in that fibers are aligned in a certain direction and bundled, and fibers on the surface are partially adhered to each other and shaped, and a method for producing the member. is there.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing the shape of a member for wiping off adherent microorganisms of the present invention.

In the wiping member according to the present invention, long fibers are aligned in the lengthwise direction and bundled, and the surface layer thereof is impregnated with a resin liquid or an adhesive having a relatively low concentration so that the cross section has a constant shape. It can be obtained by drying while heating, irradiation of ultraviolet rays, or the like while shaping, or curing the resin, and then cutting it into a predetermined length. The shape of the wiping member is not particularly limited, but as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the wiping member has a rod shape with a circular or polygonal cross section.

Further, by stretching the nonwoven fabric by applying tension, the fibers are oriented in a certain direction, and the fibers are wound or folded in a direction parallel to the fibers, and the surface layer is impregnated with a resin liquid or the like as described above. Also, a method of shaping into a certain shape is effective. In particular, when the stretched nonwoven fabric is folded and formed into a plate shape as shown in Fig. 1 (d), a large portion to be gripped with tweezers etc. can be taken during use, so that it is possible to reliably wipe off adhered microorganisms. There is.

The material of the fibers constituting the wiping member of the present invention is not particularly specified as long as it has water resistance and water retention property, but the thickness of the fibers is preferably about 1 to 50 μm. Fibers thicker than 50 μm are too large compared to the size of the microorganisms to be wiped off, so the effect of scraping off the microorganisms is weakened and the collection effect is reduced. On the other hand, 1 μm
When it becomes finer, the gap between the fibers becomes smaller, and the efficiency of washing out microorganisms after wiping is reduced.

The fibers may be in the form of straight fibers, but they are chopped (crimped) like wool.
By using the fiber, elasticity can be imparted to the wiping member, and it is possible to follow the complicated surface shape of the wiping target, and it is possible to enhance the effect of collecting microorganisms. further,
When wiping and collecting, the material is used with water,
In that case, the water retention effect is high and convenient. Furthermore, favorable results are obtained in terms of maintaining the shape of the member and the fiber structure of the surface.

In the wiping member of the present invention, water is contained between fibers during use, and the microorganisms taken by wiping are retained in the spaces between the fibers. Therefore, the bonding of the fibers of the member surface layer is only partial to the extent necessary for the member to maintain its shape, and it is important that the gaps between the fibers be sufficiently maintained.

In order to carry out such partial adhesion between fibers, it is necessary that the resin liquid (adhesive) used has a low concentration. If it is too thick, the viscosity will increase,
It is difficult to handle and is not suitable for partially bonding fibers.
The appropriate concentration of the resin liquid varies depending on the type of the resin and the solvent and is not specified. For example, when using an acetone solution of a methylmethacrylate resin, it is preferable to be within 1 to 2%. Spray on the surface,
Let it soak into the surface layer.

When a member is made to contain water, the water is sucked into the gaps between the fibers due to the capillary phenomenon, but the water repellency of the surface is large depending on the type of the fibers, so that the water may not be sucked in smoothly. Such a problem can be solved by subjecting the surface of the fiber to a hydrophilic treatment. As a method of hydrophilizing treatment, for example, a method of impregnating with a resin liquid and shaping it into a member having a predetermined size and shape, for example, a low temperature plasma treatment in an oxygen gas atmosphere can be effectively applied.

Next, a method for collecting adhered microorganisms by the member for wiping off microorganisms of the present invention will be described. First, the sterilized member is impregnated with sterile water or physiological saline. The water content at this time needs to be adjusted depending on the material of the fiber, the thickness and the density of the fiber, but it may be light and moist.
If the water content is too high, the water will remain on the surface of the object to be wiped when wiped off, and microorganisms will remain in the water, which is not desirable.

During wiping, the member is moved in a direction as perpendicular as possible to the fiber direction of the member while the member is in close contact with the surface of the object to be wiped. The microorganisms are wiped off in such a manner that they are scraped by the fibers, move to the spaces between the fibers inside the member, and are collected. When the member is moved in the same direction as the fiber direction of the member, the scraping effect is reduced and the wiping efficiency of microorganisms is reduced.

Next, the member that has been wiped off is transferred to a container into which physiological saline or a medium has been dispensed, and the wiped off microorganisms are washed out. By washing out along the fiber direction, it is easily washed out from inside the member.
In the case of conventional absorbent cotton or non-woven fabric, the flow of the washout liquid during washing out stays inside, and the microorganisms that once entered cannot be sufficiently washed out, but the wiping member of the present invention has a uniform fiber direction. Therefore, if the washing liquid is moved in the fiber direction, the flow of the washing liquid is not stopped, and the microorganisms are easily moved and washed out of the member. The liquid containing the washed-out microorganisms is added to the growth medium to grow each, and the microorganisms are identified.

[0020]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION By using the member for wiping adhered microorganisms of the present invention, the efficiency of collecting microorganisms is improved in collecting adhered microorganisms by a wiping method, and the microorganisms can be easily washed out after wiping. It is suitable as a member for wiping off microorganisms.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing the shape of a member for wiping off microorganisms according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A member for wiping off adhering microorganisms, characterized in that fibers are shaped in a uniform direction. 2. The member for wiping off adhering microorganisms according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the fiber is in the range of 1 to 50 μm. 3. The member for wiping off adherent microorganisms according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fiber has a structure in which the fibers are finely crimped. 4. The member for wiping off adherent microorganisms according to claim 1, which is sterilized or impregnated with physiological saline. 5. A method in which fibers are aligned in a certain direction and bundled, the surface layer is impregnated with a resin liquid, and then the resin is dried or cured to partially bond the fibers of the surface layer to form a shape. A method for producing a member for wiping off adherent microorganisms, which comprises: 6. A non-woven fabric is tensioned and stretched to orient the fibers, and then the non-woven fabric is wound or folded, the surface layer is impregnated with a resin liquid, and then the resin is dried or cured to form fibers between the surface layers. A method for producing a member for wiping off adherent microorganisms, characterized by partially adhering and shaping. 7. A wiping member obtained by the method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the wiping member is subjected to low-temperature plasma treatment to hydrophilize the fibers, thereby wiping the adhered microorganisms. Manufacturing method for manufacturing parts.