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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1474295
This article is part of the Research Topic Microbial Resistance and Infection Control in Public Health Care Setting View all articles

The potential role of violet-blue light to preventing hospital acquired infections (HAI): A Systematic Review

Provisionally accepted
Valentina Lucarelli Valentina Lucarelli 1,2Davide Amodeo Davide Amodeo 3*Isa De Palma Isa De Palma 3*Nicola Nante Nicola Nante 2*Gabriele Cevenini Gabriele Cevenini 3*Gabriele Messina Gabriele Messina 2
  • 1 University of Siena, Siena, Italy
  • 2 Department of Molecular Medicine and Development, University of Siena, Siena, Tuscany, Italy
  • 3 Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major challenge in modern healthcare, leading to increased mortality, financial burden and negative societal impact. The World Health Organization (WHO) and others have highlighted the alarming rise in HAIs, exacerbated by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which further complicates treatment. The efficacy of violet-blue light (VBL) technology (approximately 405-420 nm) in inactivating various pathogens and its safety for human exposure have been extensively studied.This study analyses the scientific literature on the use of VBL as a disinfection method in health care settings, with cost and safety implications. It discusses VBL in comparison to other disinfection methods, the implications of its use, and its potential in reducing HAIs due to its ability to be used in occupied environments. While UV technology is more effective at bacterial inactivation, the continuous application of VBL compensates for this difference. UV and VBL technologies have a positive environmental impact, eliminating the need for consumables and reducing waste. Safety concerns are very limited for VBL compared to UV when properly used.The literature highlights that implementing VBL can be a significant step in continuous environmental disinfection in both healthcare and domestic settings. VBL is safe for occupants and offers a feasible, green method for combating environmental contamination and potentially reducing HAIs.

    Keywords: violet-blue light, Disinfection, HAI, Surface contamination, prevention

    Received: 01 Aug 2024; Accepted: 14 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lucarelli, Amodeo, De Palma, Nante, Cevenini and Messina. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Davide Amodeo, Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Tuscany, Italy
    Isa De Palma, Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Tuscany, Italy
    Nicola Nante, Department of Molecular Medicine and Development, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Tuscany, Italy
    Gabriele Cevenini, Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Tuscany, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.