Designation:E2896−12StandardTestMethodforQuantitativePetriPlateMethod(QPM)forDeterminingtheEffectivenessofAntimicrobialTowelettes1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationE2896;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(´)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.INTRODUCTIONThistestmethodprovidesastandardizedapproachtoquantitativelydeterminetheeffectivenessofantimicrobialtowelettes(wipes)intreatinghardnon-poroussurfacescontaminatedwithStaphylo-coccusaureus,Pseudomonasaeruginosa,andSalmonellaenterica.Thistestmethodaddressestheneedforauser-friendly,relevant,andreproducibleprocedure.21.Scope1.1ThistestmethodprovidesdetailedinstructionsforperformingaquantitativeevaluationofantimicrobialefficacyofatowelettewhenchallengedagainstStaphylococcusaureus,PseudomonasaeruginosaandSalmonellaenterica.Themethodmaybeusedwithothermicrobialstrains,thoughmodificationmaybenecessarytoaccommodaterecovery.1.1.1Antimicrobialtowelettes,designedtodecontaminatehard,non-poroussurfaces,arediverseinsize,matrixcomposition,andpackaging.1.1.2Antimicrobialtowelettesalsovaryinlabelclaimsandusedirections.1.2Thisquantitativemethoddoesnotdifferentiatebetweenmechanicalremovalofinoculumfromasurfaceandchemicalinactivationofthetestmicrobe;rather,productefficacyisconsideredacombinationofbothattributesofatowelette-basedformulation.1.3ItistheresponsibilityoftheinvestigatortodeterminewhetherGoodLaboratoryPractices(GLPStandards—40CFR,Part160ofFIFRA)arerequiredandtofollowthemwhenappropriate.1.4Thisstandardmayinvolvetheuseofhazardousmaterials,chemicalsandinfectiousmicroorganismsandshouldbeperformedonlybypersonswithformaltraininginmicro-biology.1.5Strictadherencetotheprotocolisnecessaryforthevalidityofthetestresults.1.6ThevaluesstatedinSIunitsaretoberegardedasstandard.Nootherunitsofmeasurementareincludedinthisstandard.1.7Thisstandarddoesnota...
