Efficacy against all mycobacteria.
Mycobactericidal efficacy testing of disinfectants is carried out in stages:
Tuberculocidal activity: efficacy against M. tuberculosis (tested with M. terrae)
Mycobactericidal activity: efficacy against all mycobacteria
For proving mycobactericidal efficacy, standards require in vitro tests (quantitative suspension tests; in the EN referred to as phase 2/step 1, e.g. according to EN 14348).
Test organisms for the mycobactericidal spectrum of activity:
Mycobacterium terrae and Mycobacterium avium.
The methods of the European Norms (EN) and the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) for testing disinfectants for their mycobactericidal efficacy are identical to a great extent.
