Abstract

A nosocomial or hospital acquired infection is an infection which a patient develops during hospitalization. Contaminated textiles in hospitals might be an important source of microbes contributing to endogenous, indirectcontact, and aerosol transmission of nosocomialrelated pathogens. Textiles are an excellent substrate for bacterial and fungal growth under appropriate moisture and temperature conditions. The use of antimicrobial textiles, especially in those that are in close contact with the patients, may appreciably reduce bio burden in clinical settings and consequently reduce the risk of nosocomial infection. In view of increasing resistance to existing antimicrobial agents, herbal drugs are being looked as very important source for the discovery of new agents for treating various ailments related to bacterial infections. Nanotechnology has real commercial potential for the textile industry. This is mainly due to the fact that conventional methods used to impart different properties to fabrics often do not lead to permanent effects, and will lose their functions after laundering or wearing. Nanotechnology can provide high durability for fabrics, because nanoparticles have a large surface areatovolume ratio and high surface energy, thus presenting better affinity for fabrics and leading to an increase in durability of the function. The study dealt with imparting antimicrobial property to polyester / cotton blend fabrics using nanoparticles loaded withcombinatorial herbal extracts and its efficacywas evaluated in a hospital environment. The results proved that the load of microorganisms was comparatively lesser than the control fabrics, this shows that these fabrics could control the transmission of nosocomial infection through fomites.

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