New research project funded by NBIC & TSA

The Allan lab, in collaboration with Prof Katie Laird's research group, have been awarded funding by the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC) and Textile Services Association (TSA) to investigate the role of biofilms in industrial healthcare, pharmaceutical and hospitality laundries. The research will be focussing on evaluating their impact on infection control, antibiotic resistance, wastewater, and the environment.

The Importance of Biofilms in Industrial Laundries

The industrial laundry sector faces several microbiological challenges in the coming years, especially with the industry aiming to improve its environmental credentials through initiatives such as the Climate Change Agreement scheme. The industry is actively reducing its carbon emissions by lowering wash temperatures and relying more heavily on chemical disinfectants to ensure laundry is microbiologically safe.

The lowering of temperatures could support propagation of biofilms within washing machines, resulting in ineffective disinfection of textiles, recontamination of processed laundry, and potential harbouring of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In addition, increased use of chemical disinfectants could lead to disinfectant resistant bacteria rendering current chemical technologies ineffective, potentially resulting in cross resistance to antibiotics.

The societal impact of this project is a central focus with the UK industrial laundry sector providing approximately 2 million scrubs/drapes laundered a week and 1.5 million bedsheets to over 1,000 hospitals across the UK.

Pro-active research in this area will build upon the gold standard processes already utilised within the industry, ensuring that problem of biofilms and development of antimicrobial resistance is controlled within the sector.

This 4-year project is being carried out in collaboration with Prof Katie Laird (De Montfort University). The research will be carried out by Harini Satkunarasa and Katie Hussain, PhD students who will be funded through the project.