A new antimicrobial coating derived from a common disinfectant and antiseptic can kill both viruses and bacteria — MRSA and COVID-19, for instance — on plastic devices encountered in the medical industry.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the U.K. used chlorhexidine, which is often used by dentists to treat mouth infections and for pre-surgical cleaning, to coat the polymer acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

The new material effectively killed microbes associated with a range of infections and illnesses. Further, the team determined that the coating could be used on a variety of plastic medical devices such as intravenous bags and implantable devices as well as on hospital beds and toilet seats.

"As plastic is such a widely used material that we know can harbor infectious microorganisms we wanted to investigate a way to use this material to destroy the bacteria. We achieved this by bonding a disinfectant with the polymer to create a new coating material and discovered not only does it act very quickly, killing bacteria within 30 minutes, it also doesn't spread into the environment or leach from the surface when touched. Making plastic items using this material could really help tackle the issue of antibiotic resistance and reduce hospital acquired infections," the researcher concluded.

The new coating is detailed in the article, “Development of biocide coated polymers and their antimicrobial efficacy,” which appears in the journal Nano Select.