Antimicrobial Activity of Wool Treated with a New Thiol Cationic Surfactant

Wool can be an appropriate medium for growing and transferring microorganisms under favorable temperature and humidity conditions. These microorganisms can result in wool damage, skin irritation, or infections. A new and effective quaternary ammonium surfactant, N-dodecyl-N, N-dimethyl glycine cysteamine hydrochloride (DABM), has recently been synthesized. DABM can react with wool by means of its thiol group, either with cysteine-S-sulphonate residues (Bunte salts) of sodium bisulphite pretreated wool or with the disulfide bond of cystine wool, forming an asymmetrical disulfide bond. The antimicrobial activity of bisulphite-pretreated and untreated wool, both treated with DABM, is studied against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria by means of the protective antibacterial AATCC, test method 100-1989 and SEM observation. Both wool samples show biocide activity against B. pumilus and bacteriostatic activity against S. aureus. The absence of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria attached to the wool surface fibers is observed by SEM.