Antimicrobial Testing Methods & Procedures Developed by EPA's Microbiology Laboratory

We develop antimicrobial testing methods and standard operating procedures to measure the effectiveness of hard surface disinfectants against:

  • Staphylococcus aureus.
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
  • Salmonella choleraesuis.
  • Mycobacterium bovis (BCG).
  • Clostridium difficile.
  • Viruses.
  • Biofilm.

Methods are available for the following types of antimicrobial formulations:

  • Liquid.
  • Spray.
  • Towelette.

Our standard operating procedures are strict interpretations of AOAC International Exit and ASTM International standard methodsExit

Methods

Method ID Title
MB-01-07 Biosafety in the Laboratory
MB-02-07 Tracking of Test Microorganisms
MB-03-06 Screening of Polished Stainless Steel Cylinders, Porcelain Cylinders and Glass Slide Carriers Used in Disinfectant Efficacy Testing
MB-05-14 AOAC Use Dilution Method for Testing Disinfectants
MB-06-08 Germicidal Spray Products as Disinfectants (GSPT): Testing of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica
MB-07-08 Tuberculocidal Activity of Disinfectants: In Vitro Test for Determining Tuberculocidal Activity
MB-09-06 Disinfectant Towelette Test: Testing of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica
MB-10-05 Media and Reagents Preparation and Quality Evaluation
MB-11-05 Neutralization Confirmation Assay for Disinfectant Products Tested against Mycobacterium bovis (BCG)
MB-13-04 Handling Spills of Biohazardous Materials
MB-15-03 Sporicidal Activity of Disinfectants Test (Bacillus × Porcelain component only)
MB-16-02 Quantitative Suspension Test Method for Determining Tuberculocidal Efficacy of Disinfectants against Mycobacterium bovis (BCG)
MB-17-03 Neutralization Confirmation Procedures for the AOAC Use-dilution method (UDM), the AOAC Germicidal Spray Products as Disinfectants Test (GSPT) and the Disinfectant Towelette Test (DTT)
MB-21-02 Quantitative Three Step Method for Measuring the Efficacy of Liquid Sporicides against Spores of Bacillus subtilis on Hard Non-porous and Porous Surfaces
MB-22-03 Disinfectant Product Preparation and Sampling Procedures
MB-23-03 Disinfectant Towelette Test: Testing of Mycobacterium bovis (BCG)
MB-24-03 Testing of Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) Using the Germicidal Spray Products as Disinfectants Test
MB-26-01 Neutralization of Microbicidal Activity using the OECD Quantitative Method for Evaluating Bactericidal Activity of Microbicides Used on Hard, Non-Porous Surfaces
MB-27-01 Germicidal and Detergent Sanitizing Action of Disinfectants Test
MB-28-04 Production of Spores of Clostridium difficile for Use in the Efficacy Evaluation of Antimicrobial Agents
MB-30-00 Preparation of hard water and other diluents for antimicrobial products
MB-31-03 Quantitative Disk Carrier Test Method (QCT-2) Modified for Testing Antimicrobial Products Against Spores of Clostridium difficile (ATCC 43598) on Inanimate, Hard, Non-porous Surfaces
MB-32-00 Quantitative Petri Plate Method (QPM) for Determining the Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Towelettes Against Spores of Clostridium difficile (ATCC 43598) on Inanimate, Hard Non-porous Surfaces
MB-33-00 Quantitative Petri Plate Method (QPM) for Determining the Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Towelettes Against Vegetative Bacteria on Inanimate, Hard, Non-porous Surfaces

Procedures

The following standard operating procedures are pertinent to specific equipment and practices used in the EPA pesticide program's Microbiology Laboratory. The SOPs describe the laboratory's standard practices for:

  • Calibrating equipment (EQ).
  • Performing quality control procedures (QC).
  • Administrative procedures (ADM).
  • Maintaining chain of custody of samples (COC).
  • Assuring quality management practices (QA).
Procedure ID Standard Operating Procedure
ADM-01-05 Preparation and Review of Product Performance Reports
ADM-02-06 Preparation and Review of Standard Operating Procedures
ADM-03-05 Preparation and Review of Product Performance Reports
ADM-04-04 OPP Microbiology Laboratory Personnel Training
ADM-05-03 Use and Maintenance of Laboratory Notebooks and Project Binders
ADM-06-02 Customer Feedback
COC-01-07 Chain of Custody Procedures for Antimicrobial Samples
EQ-01-07 Calibration and Maintenance of pH Meters
EQ-02-07 Maintenance and Calibration of Thermometers and Thermometer/Hygrometers
EQ-03-07 Calibration and Maintenance of Weigh Balances
EQ-04-06 Use and Maintenance of Spectrophotometers
EQ-05-07 Calibration and Maintenance of Timers
EQ-06-05 Calibration of Kimble Class A Burets
EQ-08-06 Verification of Volume Dispensed and Maintenance of Oxford Automatic Dispensor
EQ-10-02 Use and Maintenance of Orbital Shakers
EQ-11-00 Use and Maintenance of Biological Safety Cabinets
QC-01-05 Quality Assurance of Purified Water
QC-02-05 Monitoring of Laboratories for Airborne Contaminants
QC-03-07 Glass Washing and Detergent Residues Test
QC-05-09 Monitoring Environmental Parameters of Incubators, Refrigerators, Freezers, Laboratories and Sample Storage Rooms
QC-06-05 Use and Maintenance of Biological Safety Cabinets
QC-09-06 Establishment of Control Numbers and Tracking of Laboratory Supplies
QC-13-07 Performance Verification of Autoclaves
QC-18-05 Sterility Assessment of Disinfectant Product Samples
QC-19-08 Verification of Digital Pipettes
QC-21-03 Determining the Presence of Microbial Contamination in Disinfectant Products
QC-22-03 VITEK 2 Compact: Use, Maintenance and Quality Control Procedures

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