New Study: Hospital Surfaces Contaminated After Disinfection
E. coli, Klebsiella aerogenes found after cleaning
March 1, 2024 2 minutes read
Pathogenic persistence can be a problem even after routine disinfection of high-touch surfaces.
Researchers found contamination, including pathogenic and potentially pathogenic bacteria, on high-touch hospital surfaces despite compliance with recommended disinfection protocols. The findings shed light on the persistent challenge of reducing healthcare-associated infections and indicate that innovative strategies may be needed for more effective disinfection of these surfaces.
“Manikins, bed rails, and workstations-on-wheels were the most contaminated surfaces, with the largest variety of bacteria isolated from manikins and bed rails,” the authors reported.1 “A total of 60 different types of pathogens were isolated, 18 of which were well-known pathogens, and seven were classified as important in the health care setting by [the] CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).”
The study was conducted at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, where researchers collected samples from 400 surfaces between June and July 2022. They focused on high-touch surfaces, such as simulation manikins used for resuscitation practice, workstations on wheels, breakroom tables, bed rails, and computer keyboards at nurse’s stations.
All these surfaces were found to harbor bacteria, and manikins and bed rails also had the most diverse types of bacteria.
The most common types of known pathogenic bacteria included Enterococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella aerogenes, among others.
Some of the potentially pathogenic types of bacteria have been associated with central-line associated bloodstream infections, meningitis, and endocarditis. About half of the bacteria identified through these samples also were found in clinical samples collected from patients during 2022.
REFERENCE
- Jinadatha C, Navarathna T, Negron-Diaz, J, et al. Understanding the significance of microbiota recovered from healthcare surfaces. Am J Infect Control 2024;52:220-224.
Pathogenic persistence can be a problem even after routine disinfection of high-touch surfaces.
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