East Anglia-based hygiene products company Tristel has welcomed a scientific study which it says highlights the case for its products to be more widely used in hospitals.

The Cardiff University report, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, found that conventional detergent wipes are inconsistent in their ability to remove spores of bacteria from hospital surfaces

Tristel, from Snailwell, near Newmarket, produces a range of infection prevention products using its own patented chemistry which was originally developed to disinfect medical instruments but has now also been applied to surface cleaning products.

Paul Swinney, chief excutive of Tristel, said: “There is a huge difference between our proven disinfectant chemistry, which is commonly used in the majority of UK hospitals to clean key medical instruments, and the simple detergent wipes that have been shown by this study to be inconsistent in killing superbugs such as MRSA or C. difficile.

“The study highlights the very issue that we deal with every day in our engagement with hospitals around the world, which is the need to step up surface cleaning from regular detergents to a more powerful disinfectant that is effective against tackling some of the deadliest hospital acquired infections.

“I have no doubt that the wider understanding of this issue provides Tristel with a huge opportunity to press our case for the use of our products on hospital surfaces where the common practice is shown to be ineffective. In short, hospitals can no longer just use everyday detergents to combat infections, they need to use effective disinfectants like ours.”