Effect of UVA/UVC-activated TiO₂ coating on sinks' pipeline system to control biofilm at ICU: A case study from Latvia

Preventing infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogens is critical in healthcare settings, particularly in ICUs, where patients are highly susceptible to infections. Sink and pipeline systems display the potential to be the cause of point source outbreaks in intensive care units (ICUs). Here, we performed lab- and real-life experiments to investigate using TiO₂ coating on the inner side of a U-shaped wastewater pipe as the reducer of clinically relevant multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms. During the lab-scale experiments, we evaluated the efficacy of the TiO₂ coating in combination with UVA/UVC light against both Gram(+) and Gram(−) bacterial strains commonly found in ICUs. At the same time, in the pilot experiments that were carried out in a real-life ICU setting, we monitored the changes in the diversity of the microbiological community within a sink that was equipped with the combination of TiO₂ coating and UVA/UVC light source. The lab-scale results showed that TiO₂ coating alone did not have an additional effect on bacteria reduction based on incubation time, power level, and usage time, while the pilot scale demonstrated that TiO₂ coating combination with UVA/UVC light effectively reduced the microbial diversity in the pipeline system of the ICU sink. Overall, this study combines experiments in the laboratory and real-life ICU settings to investigate the effectiveness of a TiO₂ coating and UVA/UVC light combination for eliminating MDR microorganisms, thus providing valuable knowledge that will aid the development of future infection control strategies. Additionally, this study emphasizes the importance of continuous maintenance and monitoring in preventing the growth of MDR bacteria.