what is PERMAGARD and how does it work?

PERMAGARD is the new antimicrobial finish from Carrington's that controls the growth of bacteria. It can be applied to a wide range of fabrics and surfaces and is intended for use in the food, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Unlike most antimicrobial products PERMAGARD does not rely on the slow release of a poison to kill the bacteria but utilises a mechanism that penetrates the cell wall and on contact destroys them. (see diagram)

There are two sorts of antimicrobial agent - the migrating and the non-migrating. Migrating antimicrobials create a zone of inhibition in order to affect as much bacteria as possible. However, some of the bacteria in this zone are not always killed outright and can learn to survive and recover, and therefore build up a resistance to the antimicrobial used.

PERMAGARD is a non-migrating antimicrobial and as explained above uses a physical kill method. It breaks the cell wall and kills the bacteria outright. As it does not create a zone of inhibition but kills only what comes into contact with it, no bacteria can learn to recover from it.

Field trails followed by microbiological testing have shown that PERMAGARD is still effective after 100 washes @ 85ºC. The performance of PERMAGARD has also been evaluated and verified by the Hospital Infection Control Research Laboratory of the Birmingham City Hospital NHS Trust.

it is time to be proactive not reactive.

Hospital acquired infections have attained much greater public awareness in recent times and a somewhat notorious reputation because of the emergence of species of micro-organisms, in particular MRSA, which have become resistant to antibiotics.

We are all aware of the economically damming figures issued by the National Audit Office 100,000 infections a year are acquired in hospital equating to 1 in 10 patients. All this at a cost of £1 billion to the UK NHS.

Recognising the need for an anti-microbial product that is effective and durable, Carrington Career & Workwear Ltd, the UK's largest supplier of healthcare fabrics has developed a completely new product, 'PERMAGARD' to help in the fight against hospital acquired infections.

PERMAGARD is an antimicrobial finish that can be applied to a wide range of fabrics and surfaces. Unlike other products, PERMAGARD does NOT rely on the slow release of a poison to kill the bacteria but utilises a mechanism that penetrates the cell wall on contact and destroys them.

PERMAGARD is effective against MRSA. In addition, it provides effective control against the growth of a wide range of bacteria, fungi, algae and yeast's. The performance of PERMAGARD has been evaluated and verified by the Hospital Infection Control Research Laboratory of the Birmingham City Hospital NHS Trust. There is no known risk of bacterial mutation with PERMAGARD. PERMAGARD is different in that it is an antimicrobial of the non-migrating type. Because it destroys bacteria by physical rather than chemical means it will not cause the bacteria to adapt and become resistant to it.

PERMAGARD Protects both the Wearer and the Patient. The moist warm environment in a fabric worn next to the skin is a good breeding ground for bacteria. These can transfer from person to person and from patient to healthcare worker. Such hospital acquired bacteria can than be transferred to the home environment as healthcare uniforms are usually worn to and from work and washed domestically. PERMAGARD treated uniforms will aid in the prevention of such transfer.

PERMAGARD is durable to multiple high temperature laundering. In fact, field trials followed by microbiological testing have shown that PERMAGARD is still effective after 100 washes at 85ºC.

Uniforms made in PERMAGARD treated fabric are currently being used by staff at Airedale NHS Trust and The London Ambulance Service.

We believe that PERMAGARD has a significant part to play in the fight to combat hospital acquired infections and is supportive of the Winning Ways Initiative recently launched by the Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson.

FAQ's

What is Permagard?

Permagard is an antimicrobial finish for textiles.

What fabric types can Permagard be applied to?

All fabric types. Wash durability tends to be better on synthetic blends as they lint less (shed fibres)

How durable is Permagard to multiple laundering?

Permagard has been tested for antimicrobial activity after 100 industrial washes and still proven to be effective. The practical life of the treatment depends on many factors such as the type of fabric to which it is applied, the rigors of the end use and the laundering process.

Why, as a finish is Permagard so durable?

The Permagard antimicrobial agent covalently bonds with the fibres of the fabric. This bond is chemically as strong as the polymer chains within the fibres themselves.

What micro-organisms is Permagard effective against?

Permagard is effective against virtually all bacteria, fungi and yeasts. It also has some antiviral activity but this is not claimed by the chemical manufacturer for product liability reasons.

Is Permagard bactericidal of bacteriostatic?

Both! Permagard will kill bacteria in addition to preventing them multiply.

What is the mechanism of Permagard kill method?

Permagard kills micro-organisms by physical not chemical means. This is akin to electrocution rather than chemical poisoning.

Why is Permagard different from conventional antimicrobials?

Most antimicrobials work by leaching or moving out of the substrate on which they were applied and the mechanism of bacterial kill is by chemical poisoning. Permagard is a non-leaching antimicrobial. The bacteria have to contact the fabric and the Permagard in order to be killed. There is no kill of the bacteria in the area surrounding the fabric e.g on the person’s skin.

What does the non-leaching Permagard offer over the leaching type of antimicrobial agent?

The leaching types can contact the skin and effect normal skin bacteria often crossing the skin barrier to cause skin rashes and irritation. The leaching type may also allow for the adaptation of micro-organisms to become resistant to them and because of their continual slow release from the fibres of the fabric they are eventually used up.

Is there a test that easily distinguishes the leaching type antimicrobial agent from the non-leaching type like Permagard?

Yes, in a normal petri dish test the leaching type of antimicrobial agent will exhibit a zone of inhibition. If a sample of fabric, treated with a leaching type antimicrobial agent, is placed in a dish of bacterial growth media a zone will develop around the sample in which the bacteria will not survive. This is known as the ‘zone of inhibition’. If a similar sample, treated with Permagard, is placed in the dish only the bacteria on the fabric itself will be killed.

Does Permagard alter the other properties of the fabric?

The application of Permagard to fabrics does not alter any of the physical properties in terms of strength, appearance, colourfastness etc. Because it is based on a silicone polymer the fabric handle may be slightly softer but this is hardly noticeable.

Can white goods, treated with Permagard be chlorine bleached?

Yes! In fact the antimicrobial effectiveness of the Permagard finish is boosted slightly if the fabric is repeatedly chlorine bleached during laundering.