BioShield 75

[Diego Velarde]

Read about it on the Repti-Racks site. Is any one else using this product or have any feedback on it? http://www.bioshield75.com/ Its sounds good for keeping tubs and racks clean.

[hhmoore]

Sounds interesting, at face value....but you know me - I'm not that easily swayed & I like to see real studies, not just promo crap.
Nothing against Repti-Racks, but their word as a company selling the product doesn't mean a whole lot to me. (And that is just the standard blurb on their site, anyway.)

I won't have time to do much serious investigating for a while; but if I come across anything, I'll post it here.

[Diego Velarde]

Thanks Harald. Yeah, it does sounds like a good product but wanted to hear from people that are currently using this stuff instead of just going for whatever their ad says. If its really what they say it is then I'm definitely considering buying this stuff. They claim to have zoos and vets using it. I got to look more into it

[hhmoore]

I had time for a fairly cursory look last night - I found one study on the growth of methicillin resistant Staph aureus on BioShield treated plates. There was still colonization & growth, but at a fractional rate compared to the untreated plates. (The fact that it was methicillin resistant Staph is of questionable importance for my interest due to the action of the product. It kills the microbes by mechanical/physical means, not chemically, so the resistance shouldn't be a factor).

I also found a couple of power point presentations by a company (and I'm uncertain of what the involvement of that company is with this product). I got through one of them, and partway into the other. Of note:
-They claim that BioShield is an effective protectant against a variety of microbes. Included in their definition of microbes were bacteria, molds, and fungi.....BUT, they specifically stated that viruses were not included.
-It was stated that this product is NOT a disinfectant (its a protectant). Surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned prior to use. (as is fairly typical - contaminants, debris, organic waste, etc will all significantly decrease the effectiveness of the product.
-Need for retreatment is dependent on the amount of contact and cleaning methods. Frequently touched items are recommended to be treated every 30 days.


Aside from the one study, I found no (real) information on this products effectiveness against other organisms. I found some references to Pseudomonas that didn't turn into anything, and the second powerpoint presentation came up in that search...but there had been no mention of it by the time I had to close the program.
More to follow??

[Diego Velarde]

You really do your homework! Very nice. would it even be worth the price tag?

[hhmoore]

It really depends on what that price tag is (I saw the price for a case, but I didn't pay attention because I was looking for other things), and its effectiveness against the types of microbes our animals are most susceptible and most often exposed to. Like I said, that was just the first round of looking, I hope to find more solid material when I have the time to really delve into it.

Oh, I forgot to mention, regular and thorough cleanings are strongly recommended, because anything overlaying the treated surface (they were talking about dirt & dust kind of things) decreases the effectiveness of the product.....Here's a thought, based on that knowledge though: how many of us keep animals in bare enclosures? Based upon what I have read so far, any sort of substrate -whether it is paper, aspen, or whatever - would provide a safe surface for microbial growth.

[promist]

Harald,

We are the factory rep and distributor of Bioshield for the animal industry.

Bioshield is not a recently developed method, with the original molecule being discovered and patented in the mid 70's by Dow-Corning. The primary problem was that the molecule isn't water soluble, so the various carrier vehicles rendered the commercial applications of the molecule few and far between. There are many published studies and patents on the molecule showing that it does work very effectively against a wide range of bacteria, molds, mildew, fungus, algae yeast and many viruses, both encapsulated and non-encapsulated.

You are correct in saying that Bioshield is represented primarily as a anti-biostatic inhibitor vs. a stand-alone disinfectant, but it will significantly reduce any microbe load on a surface even if the surface isn't cleaned. It works much more effectively and for a much longer period of time if the surface is cleaned prior to the application of Bioshield. Studies performed show a reduction up to 95% if used alone, but will provide a reduction up to 99.9% when applied to a clean surface and for a much longer period of time.

It has been shown effective against over 85 types of microbes with the list growing every day, including many strains of salmonella, e. coli, pseudomonas, sars, mrsa, hepatitis and numerous others. To date, there has not been any microbe the product has been tested with that Bioshield wasn't effective against. The primary thrust of the product to date is in the health care industry, so most of the clinical studies performed revolve around human health related diseases.

There are 3 significant differences between Bioshield and any other type of current disinfectant. First, once applied, it bonds with almost any surface, porous or non-porous, creating an anti-biostatic film that can't be washed or wiped off, remaining effective for at least 3 months and can last much longer depending on the surface and environmental conditions. Since it works mechanically and doesn't migrate or leach from the surface, no microbe can develop a resistance to Bioshield and it will kill many of the super bugs other products can actually create. Applied to a fabric (towels, clothes, sneakers etc.), one application will last through at least 50 machine washings, so one application will last the life of the material (industry standards state that 50 machine washings represents the life of a fabric). 2nd, unlike other disinfectants, it will remain effective over the entire period, continuously killing any microbes without the use of toxic chemicals that must migrate off the surface to work. 3rd, it will inhibit the growth of bacteria and algae on underwater surfaces .

The USDA has approved it for use with direct food contact surfaces, so can be used to protect cutting boards, kitchen counters, food preparation surfaces, food containers and so forth. It can withstand temperatures up to 360 degrees, so will not wash off even with boiling water. It kills odor and stain causing bacteria, mold, mildew and algae; so will eliminate such problems on treated surfaces in wet or humid locations including cages, showers, outside decks, roofs, siding on a building, boats, outdoor furniture, footwear such as sneakers & boots, dog beds... there are literally thousand of potential uses for the product.

In the exotic and domestic animal industry it can be used in cages, feeding and handling instruments, examination tables, kennels, floors, towels, rack systems, shelves, counters, food and water bowls or any other object to stop cross contamination and provide continuous long term antimicrobial protection.

There have been many attempts at various formulas to create one that is commercially viable. Different formulas will have various rates of efficacy, depending on the stability, age of the solution and any potential binding sites created in the solution. For these reasons, there will be variable results in any study based on these parameters with whatever formula was used.

The reason for Bioshield being different is because it is the only version available (patented formula) that has been able to create a water-stabilized molecule. This means that it will not precipitate out of solution in 15-30 days as any other water based formula will and the molecule will not bind to non-desired sites such as impurities in the solution. Being water-based, it does not pose any of the potential toxic risks as previous non-water based solutions have.

Once Bioshield is applied to a surface, it can be cleaned, wiped or whatever as usual, but the difference is that it remains in place for an extended period of time and unlike any other current products that stop working as soon as or shortly after they dry, Bioshield will continuously eliminate these microbes, reducing the time, labor and the cost to have to disinfect contaminated surfaces to 4 times a year or less.

Bob Pound
Pro Products
www.pro-products.com

[hhmoore]

Bob - thanks for providing some extra info. If I had realized that you were the factory rep and distributor, I would have just called you, lol.

I was aware that the basic product (molecule) had been around for 20+ yrs, and that it had been USDA approved for use on food preparation surfaces.
The material I had seen indicated that viruses were not included in the group of microbes against which BioShield is effective. Your statement indicates that it is effective against a number of (both encapsulated & nonencapsulated) viruses. Is this new information, or was the source I checked incorrect?
While I didn't make the comment in my previous posts, I can see where Bioshield would be of benefit on rack surfaces (especially the insides which can be harder to clean/disinfect), in-cage heating devices, cage walls, etc.....but, I'm interested in your opinion about the comment I made regarding substrates (the material I read stated that anything overlaying the treated surface provides "safe" ground for microbial deposition & growth. [size=1 *the word safe was not necessarily used in the articles*[/size])

If you're at the White Plains show next month, I'll stop by :thumbsup:

[promist]

Harald,

New studies are being performed in several areas, that have not been made available to the general public. Most if not all of these studies will be published in the near future. I am personally pushing for microbes more specific to the pet and exotic animal industry (for example, I hope to get a study for leptosporidium underway soon). Bioshield has been shown to be effective against several viruses to date, but as you are well aware, studies aren't cheap, so our company has to be selective as to which studies are more significant at the present time.

Regarding the substrate issue, no other product used to disinfect a surface is going to provide protection on the substrate either, and unlike Bioshield, will not provide any long-term residual protection on any surface. The advantage with Bioshield is that when you clean the substrate in the cage, any microbes left on the surface will be eliminated, reducing the need to have to disinfect the entire cage each time it is cleaned. You can actually treat any substrate with Bioshield, which would then provide the protection to the substrate itself. One of the many proven uses of Bioshield is to treat wooden decks and siding on a building. It inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and other fungus as well as algae on the surface, which reduces the rate of deterioration of the wood, as these are the mechanisms that break down the wood fibers. Treating any type of substrate in a cage with Bioshield would provide the same long-term protection while the substrate is in place, inhibiting the growth of these microbes on the substrate. Since it will also eliminate any odor causing bacteria, it will also reduce any objectionable odors on the treated surface as well.

When you look at many of the plastic cages being used today, there is an issue of the plastic absorbing and harboring many types of microbes in the plastic. Take a Tupperware container for example and store spaghetti sauce in it overnight. The next day, try and wash it out. Everyone knows that the plastic will still have a residue absorbed in the plastic as confirmed by the color change that can’t be washed out. Bioshield works on porous surfaces such as this and will provide superior protection against any microbes that try and harbor and grow in the plastic. So even when substrate is covering the surface, any excrement or other contaminated liquids released in the cage will not be able to spread any microbes and allow them to take up refuge on or in the treated surface.

You mention the potential benefits of treating in-cage heating devices among other things. We treat our Pro Heat radiant panels with Bioshield during the manufacturing process for this very reason.

Look forward to seeing you in White Plains,

Bob Pound
Pro Products
www.pro-products.com

[Gary O]

I have talked to Bob at the Hamburg show and Bioshield is great. I use it on all my hooks and cages and even close now. Mr Pound really took time out of is day at the show to talk to me about it. And I thank him. Bioshiled is A + and I will continue to use it on all my cages and herp supplies as well as sountertops and other surfaces.