Surgical Glove Prevents Regrowth of Hand Bacteria

New surgical gloves with antimicrobial technology (AMT) reduce bacteria by a factor of 20 after two hours of surgery.

The Ansell Gammex PF AMT surgical gloves incorporate a highly effective antiviral and antimicrobial inside layer into a conventional surgical glove. In addition to killing viruses (including HIV and Hepatitis C) and bacteria (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus aureus, and E.coli) present in patient fluids, the glove’s active layer also prevents regrowth of hand bacteria by 95%. The gloves, made of natural rubber latex, provide the same feel, sensitivity, flexibility, and dexterity as conventional gloves when manipulating and handling instruments.


The main difference from conventional gloves is the active antiviral and antimicrobial layer, which contains chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG). Since the majority of glove punctures go unnoticed, the glove’s active properties can contribute to reducing the occurrence of surgeon-to-patient surgical site infections (SSI) by providing ongoing antiviral and antibacterial protection. The Ansell Gammex PF AMT surgical gloves are a product of Ansell Healthcare (Iselin, NJ, USA), and have recived the European community (CE) marking of approval.

“The new Gammex AMT is a significant technical breakthrough in terms of bringing about a change from passive protection to active protection. These new gloves respond to the demands of healthcare workers in the surgical theatre who face infection risks every day. With AMT, we can offer healthcare workers an extra level of security,” said David Lucas, vice president of science & technology at Ansell Healthcare.

In clinical and laboratory tests, the Gammex AMT gloves killed at least 99% of invading HIV and HCV (hepatitis C) surrogate pathogens, the two main viruses that concern surgeons. In addition, clinical testing has shown that the gloves kill over 99.7% of eight common infectious bacteria and kill over 99.99% of Staphylococcus aureus.

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