Application of an antimicrobial agent on an elastomeric article

An elastomeric article comprising an elastomeric substrate having a first surface, an antimicrobial composition bound to said first surface forming a substantive or non-fugative antimicrobial coating over at least a portion of said first surface, in a manner such that when said antimicrobial coating is subject to a either a) a first version involving a dry-leaching or agar-plate-based test, according to AATCC 147 protocol, or b) a second version involving a wet-leaching or dynamic shake flask test according to ASTM E-2149-01 protocol, or c) both versions of a zone of inhibition test, said antimicrobial coating produces no zones of inhibition.

A method for creating a non-leaching antimicrobial coating on a surface of an elastomeric substrate, the method comprises:

• providing an elastomeric substrate having at least a first surface;
• provide an antimicrobial solution containing an anti-foaming agent and heated to a temperature of at least about 40.5° C. (˜105° F.);
• applying said antimicrobial agent in an application apparatus by means of either spraying with a nozzle atomizer, or immersing in an agitated bath of said antimicrobial solution for an effective amount of time to substantively bind said antimicrobial coating to said substrate.

An elastomeric article having an antimicrobial coating, the article comprises:

• a body formed of a natural or synthetic polymer latex having an outer surface and an inner surface;
• said body having a coating of an antimicrobial agent over at least a portion of said outer surface, and said antimicrobial coating experiences no loss of the antimicrobial molecules from said coated first surface when subject to a testing regime involving a first version or a second version, or both versions of a zone of inhibition test, and wherein said substrate is further subject to a rapid contact-transfer test of relatively short durations, and said antimicrobial coating exhibits a level of biocide efficacy that produces a reduction in the concentration of microbes that may be transferred onto said first surface by a magnitude of at least log10 1.

An elastomeric article having reducing microbe affinity and transmission, the article comprising:

• a non-leaching antimicrobial coating stably associated with a surface of an elastomeric substrate, said coating having being applied either through a heated spray coating device having at least one nozzle atomizer or a heated immersion bath, wherein said antimicrobial coating experiences no loss of the antimicrobial molecules from said coated first surface when subject to a testing regime involving a first version or a second version, or both versions of a zone of inhibition test, and wherein said substrate is further subject to a rapid germicidal test of relatively short duration, and said antimicrobial coating exhibits a level of biocide efficacy that produces a reduction in the concentration of microbes that may be transferred onto said first surface by a magnitude of at least log10 1.