Clothing and textile materials carries a lot ofmicroorganisms. Amicroorganism or microbe is an organism that is microscopic and usually notseen by the naked human eye. Microorganisms include bacteria, fungi, archaea,and protists; microscopic plants such as green algae; and animals such asplankton and the planarian. Some microbiologists include viruses in
Bacteria are uni-cellular organisms and grown very rapidlyunder warmth and moisture. Sub divisions of bacteria family include Gram positive(Staphylococcus aureus), Gram negative (E-Coli), spore bearing or non sporebearing type. Some bacteria are pathogenic and cause cross infection. Fungi,molds or mildew are complex organisms. Their growth rate is slow. They cause stainon the fabric and deteriorate the fabrics. Fungi become active at a pH level of6.5. Algae are typical micro organisms which are either fungal or bacterial.Algae require continuous sources of water and sun light to grow and causedarker stains on the fabrics.
The hospital and healthcare systems are affected bymicroorganisms and cause negative effects. Deterioration, defacement and odorsare all caused by microbial contamination of surfaces of uniforms and medicalfabrics, medical devices and hard surfaces i.e., walls, ceilings, and air ductsystems.
Even though many precautions are taken to prevent or reducethe transmission of harmful organisms in hospitals, such as hand-cleaning,housekeeping, and laundry protocols, but the risk of crosses contamination ofsurfaces and textiles to patients and staff is considerable. Textile materialand hard surface in a hospital environment is a potential carrier of infectiousagents such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast. The only effective way for reducingsuch infections throughout the healthcare complex is to use safe persistentantimicrobial technologies and to maintain the highest standards of hygiene.
Hospitals, schools, hotels, residences, food storage areas,and manufacturing facilities such as electronics, food, pharmaceuticals shouldhave control of surface sourced microbial contaminants. The control of microbesmust include for garments, beddings, linens, wipes, surgical fabrics, and othertextile materials used in healthcare operations and construction materials.
The inherent properties of a textile product lead to growth oforganisms. The growth of microorganism on textile product leads to lot offunctional, hygienic and aesthetic problems. Out of this, the most problematic microorganismsare fungi and bacteria. Algae can grow on textile product under humidconditions. They are problematic only because they act as nutrient sources forfungi and bacteria. Fungi can cause several problems to textile product, suchas discoloration, colored stains and fiber damage. Bacteria may causeunpleasant odors, slick, slimy feel and also can leads to some fiber damage.
During processing of textile material, several substancesadded to the textile materials, such as lubricants, antistats, size, thickenersand hand modifiers. All these are a source of food for microorganisms.Synthetic fibers are less susceptible to deterioration by affecting microorganismsthan natural fibers. Natural fibers are more easily attacked by microorganisms.Natural man made fibers, such as rayon are easily attacked by mildew andbacteria. Animal fibers, such as keratin, wool, silk are more easily attackedby bacteria and insects than cotton, whereas cotton is more likely to beattacked by fungi than wool.
About the Author
The authoris Dy. Manager (TQM) at Shri Lakshmi Cotsyn Limited, UPSIDC Industrial Area,Malwan, Dist. Fatehpur, U.P.
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