80
K. TAKAI ET AL
antibacterial activity of sample 2 decreased more sig-
nificantly than that of sample 5 did, indicating that the
mechanism of the effect can be different depending on
the kind of AFTP.
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The results indicated significant differences in antibac-
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commercially available AFTPs should be tested by use of
the same method. In Japan, JIS L 1902 was proposed as
a standard method for testing the antibacterial activity of
AFTPs in 1998 (10). In this quantitative procedure,
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used in this study was prepared with distilled water to test
the essential activity of AFTPs. In JIS L 1902, AFTPs
containing bacterial suspensions are put into a stopped
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mates that of wet conditions in our method. The AFTPs
are initially wet, but they may become dry during the test.
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conditions in this study. Furthermore, standard strains of
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In conclusion, our results suggest that moisture content
in the environment is an important factor in the control of
bacteria. Furthermore, the use of antimicrobial finished-
textile products in clinical practice must consider many
species of bacteria. In this sense, the use of AFTPs
may be of limited value.
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