an absorbent , highly wettable , bioactive fabric useful as a surgical drape , dressing or the like comprised of a non - cellulosic substrate having a non - leachable silicone quaternary bioactive compound together with a hydrophilic organosilicone terpolymer incorporated thereon is described . the fabric is used to isolate a surgical incision site and provides an absorbent antimicrobial field to destroy migrating and cross - contaminating bacteria , fungi and algae . procedures for producing the fabric are also disclosed .