More particularly, but not exclusively, it relates to a surface cleansing composition having both anti-viral and anti-bacterial activity.

There is increasing concern about bacterial and viral infections being transmitted to patients and staff in hospitals and the like. One vector of infection is believed to be incompletely disinfected surfaces, which may harbour bacteria and/or viruses that are resistant to existing surface cleaning agents. There is a strong suspicion that the spread of the recent SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak may have been linked to the ability of the SARS virus to resist conventional cleaning agents/disinfectants. Viruses spread from an infected patient thus remain viable and ready to be picked up by and to infect other patients and medical staff. Other pathogens, such as the MRSA bacterium, are also suspected to be surviving existing surface cleaning/disinfecting agents and routines. It is known to use cationic surfactants, such as quaternary ammonium salts, as dual-purpose surface cleaning agents and bactericides. However, while such materials are generally found to be sufficient to deal with, say, food-poisoning bacteria in a food preparation environment, they are not regarded as sufficiently active to handle more dangerous and more resistant pathogens in a medical context.

Alcohols, such as iso-propanol, and halogens, such as iodine, have in the past been used as relatively crude topical disinfecting agents around wounds and skin lesions, but they have not proven suitable for wide area cleaning of hard surfaces and the like. For example, iodine can stain many surfaces, and its use at high concentrations is limited by safety considerations.

It is hence an object of the present invention to provide a liquid cleansing and disinfecting preparation, suitable for use on hard surfaces, with a high anti-viral and. anti-bacterial effectiveness.

According to the present invention, there is provided an aqueous surface cleaning and disinfecting preparation comprising at least one aliphatic alcohol, a long-chain alkyl polyamine compound, and iodine.

Preferably, the long-chain alkyl polyamine compound comprises a long-chain alkyl triamine compound.

The composition may comprise a mixture of long-chain alkyl polyamine compounds having a range of different alkyl chain lengths.

Advantageously, the long-chain alkyl polyamine compound comprises a compound of the general formula R-NH-(CH2) m-NH-(CH2) n-NH2, where R is a linear or branched alkyl chain comprising at least eight carbon atoms, and each of m and n equals either 2 or 3.

R may be a linear or branched alkyl chain comprising between ten and fourteen carbon atoms.

Each of m and n may equal 3.

Preferably, the at least one aliphatic alcohol comprises between one and four carbon atoms.

Advantageously, the composition comprises two aliphatic alcohols.

Optionally, the composition comprises ethanol and n-propanol.

The composition may comprise between 10% and 30% by volume aliphatic alcohols.

Advantageously, the composition comprises between 15% and 25% by volume aliphatic alcohols.

The composition may comprise between 10% and 20% by volume ethanol and between 5% and 10% by volume n-propanol.

Optionally, the composition may comprise between 14% and 16% by volume ethanol and between 5% and 7% by volume n-propanol.

The composition preferably comprises up to 0.5% by weight iodine.

Advantageously, the composition comprises between 0. 1% and 0. 5% by weight iodine.

Optionally, the composition may comprise 0.33% i 0.05% by weight iodine.

The composition preferably comprises between 10% and 30% by volume of the long-chain alkyl polyamine compound or compounds.

Advantageously, the composition comprises between 15% and 25% of the long-chain alkyl polyamine compound or compounds.

Optionally, the composition may comprise 20% 2% of the long-chain alkyl polyamine compound or compounds.

The composition may comprise a complexing agent adapted to form a complex with the iodine.

The composition may comprise at least one buffering agent, such as nitrilotriacetic acid or its salts.

The composition may comprise at least one wetting agent, such as a polyglycol ether, optionally a polyethylene glycol ether or a polypropylene glycol ether.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described more particularly by way of example.

An aqueous surface cleaning composition was prepared, comprising: NTA 89% powder 0.85 kg Ethanol 15.0 litres n-Propanol 6.0 litres Topanol O FG 0.55 litres Sandoteric SC 2.42 litres Sandozin NRW conc 6.95 litres Sandoteric ABD 4.45 litres Triameen Y12D-30 19.99 litres Deionised water 43.4524 litres Iodine (solid) 0.3376 kg The composition appeared as a pale yellow clear liquid with a pH of approximately 8 and a slight alcoholic odour.

NTA is nitrilotriacetic acid trisodium salt, a buffering agent. Topanol O FG is food-grade butylated hydroxytoluene, an antioxidant, sold by Chance & Hunt Ltd. (Topanol is a registered trade mark of ICI plc). Sandozin NRW conc is a polyethoxylate ether sold by Clariant as a wetting agent. It also forms a relatively stable complex with iodine. Sandoteric SC is a sulphobetaine amphoteric surfactant, which acts as a detergent, and Sandoteric ABD is a complex mixture of amphoteric surfactants acting as a detergent and having a degree of bactericidal activity. Both are sold by Clariant. (Sandozin and Sandoteric are registered trade marks of Novartis SA) Triameen Y12D-30 is a long-chain alkyl triamine of the general formula R'-NH-C3H6-NH-C3H6-NH2, where R'is a"tallow alkyl"-a naturally-derived mixture of alkyl chains of different lengths, the most common of which is a dodecyl chain. It is sold by Akzo Nobel.

It is believed that in a suitably buffered solution, the triamine forms a cationic species.

Together with the amphoteric surfactants, it attacks the phospholipid membranes which form the outer wall of a bacterium or the capsid of a virus. In most cases, these membranes are ruptured or lysed, leading to release of the bacterium's DNA or the virus'RNA, as the case may be. The complexed iodine and the alcohols are believed to act in conjunction on viral RNA, effectively destroying it and eradicating the virus. The triamine and the amphoteric surfactants are believed either to attack and cleave bacterial DNA, or to bind to critical parts of the helix, in either case preventing it from replicating. The alcohols may also contribute to the attack on the membranes.

Even where the membranes are not sufficiently damaged to release their contents for destruction, the composition is found to inactivate the bacterium or virus for prolonged periods (at least 14 days in current testing, much longer than for current cleaners/disinfectants).

The combined action of the components of the composition is thus to break up and destroy a majority of bacteria and viruses, and to inactivate undestroyed bacteria and viruses for prolonged periods. The composition also has a conventional detergent/cleansing effect, removing macroscopic soiling from a surface to which it is applied, as well as washing off undestroyed bacteria/viruses and the debris of the destroyed. It has been found to have minimal deleterious effect on the surfaces tested, and does not stain surfaces as would conventional formulations containing similar levels of iodine.

It is hypothesised that compositions with higher levels of iodine may be useful in some applications, although alterations to the other components, such as raised levels of one or both alcohols, may then be needed for stability.

The composition also has a degree of activity against fungi, moulds and yeasts, although it is believed that a modified formulation, for example with an alternative alcohol blend, might be required for full effectiveness against the tougher walls of fungal spore cells and the like.

Testing has shown that the composition passes the standard"555-challenge"test (see British Standard BS EN 1276: 1997 and the French Afnor test). As an effective anti-viral and anti- bacterial cleansing agent, it may be categorised as a (2) category disinfectant in the system employed by the UK National Health Service, suitable for cleaning in"medium high risk" areas.

In the stringent RNA destruction test using canine poliovirus and Norwalk virus, the composition described passes the test at very high RNA concentrations, considerably outperforming conventional systems. It is therefore believed that the composition is sufficiently active that even robust and highly resistant pathogens such as the SARS virus will be substantially completely eliminated by a simple washing treatment.