As opposed to the initial prevalence, the contact time with chlorine,
the Quorum Pink II HF detergent scrubbing time and the concentration
of acetic acid all had a negative effect. The contact time
with chlorine was the most effective treatment for both E. coli and
enterococci disinfection. Hypochlorous acid, from the sodium
hypochlorite solution, penetrates into the bacterial cells and causes
the loss of competence through the disruption of vital systems,
including membrane transporters and DNA synthesis, leading to
replication incompetence and loss of metabolic viability (Knox,
Stumpf, Green, & Auerbach, 1948; Wyatt & Waites, 1975) and
eventual death. The effect of increasing the acetic acid concentration