| Summary: | At Canadian Blood Services, despite the use of 2% chlorhexidine and 70% isopropyl alcohol (standard disinfectant, SD) prior to venipuncture, <i>Cutibacterium acnes</i> evades eradication and is a major contaminant of platelet concentrates (PCs). Since <i>C. acnes</i> forms bacterial aggregates known as biofilms in the sebaceous niches of the skin, this study aimed to assess whether sebum-like components impact disinfectant efficacy against <i>C. acnes</i> leading to its dominance as a PC contaminant. <i>C. acnes</i> mono-species and dual-species biofilms (<i>C. acnes</i>s and a transfusion-relevant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> isolate) were formed in the presence and absence of sebum-like components and exposed to SD, a hypochlorous acid-based disinfectant (Clinisept+, CP), or a combination of both disinfectants to assess disinfectant efficacy. Our data indicate that sebum-like components significantly reduce the disinfectant efficacy of all disinfectant strategies tested against <i>C. acnes</i> in both biofilm models. Furthermore, though none of the disinfectants led to bacterial eradication, the susceptibility of <i>C. acnes</i> to disinfectants was heightened in an isolate-dependent manner when grown in the presence of <i>S. aureus</i>. The reduction of skin disinfection efficacy in the presence of sebum may contribute to the overrepresentation of <i>C. acnes</i> as a PC contaminant and highlights the need for improved disinfection strategies.
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