AATCC Test Method 100

What is the AATCC 100 Test?

AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) Test Method 100 was developed to assess the antibacterials activity of antibacterial finishes on textile material.

What’s the Purpose of the AATCC TM100

AATCC Test Method 100 is a quantitative assessment of how well a textile material finish is able to stand up to antibacterial activity in accordance with its intended use. It looks at both bacteriostatic (bacteria stopping) and bactericidal (bacteria killing) activity, offering detailed measurements that allow for continuity and replicable results. Standard microorganisms tested are Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae and allows other microorganisms depending on the intended use of the test sample. The test method is widely used to assess the antimicrobial activity of textile products like medical clothing or wound dressings.

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Stages of the AATCC 100 Test Method 

• Test Article Preparation: Treated and untreated control samples are prepared. Viability control fabric and the negative control sample is also prepared to show the viability of test organisms during incubation and aseptic processing. Two sets of samples are prepared: one for each contact time (0 and 24 hours).
• Test Organism Preparation: Test organisms are prepared in a low nutritive medium.
• Inoculation/Incubation: Each treated, untreated control, and viability control fabric is inoculated with an appropriate volume of inoculum and incubates the samples.
• Neutralization/Recovery: At each contact time, an appropriate volume of the neutralizer is added to each sample. Neutralized samples are then shaken, and serial dilutions are prepared. Appropriate dilutions are plated in duplicate and allow plates to solidify. Plates are incubated for a specified time.
• Results: After incubation, all plates are enumerated, and a percentage reduction is calculated by comparing the number of CFU recovered from the treated sample after 24 hours with the number of CFU recovered from the untreated control sample at 24 hours. In the absence of untreated control, percent recovery is calculated by comparing the number of CFU recovered from the treated sample after 24 hours with the number of CFU recovered from the treated sample at 0 contact time.

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