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Related Experiment Videos

"Cloud" health-care workers.

R J Sherertz1, S Bassetti, B Bassetti-Wyss

  • 1Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1042, USA. sherertz@wfubmc.edu

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|April 11, 2001
PubMed
Summary
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Asymptomatic health-care workers can spread bacteria like group A streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus through airborne dispersal, causing hospital infections. This phenomenon, known as the "cloud" phenomenon, highlights risks associated with colonized health-care workers.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hospital Epidemiology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Health-care workers (HCWs) can be asymptomatic carriers of pathogenic bacteria.
  • Bacterial dispersal by HCWs is a known cause of hospital-acquired infections.
  • Specific bacteria, including group A streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus, are implicated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and summarize evidence supporting the existence of "cloud" health-care workers.
  • To understand the airborne dispersal of bacteria by colonized HCWs.
  • To highlight the role of asymptomatic carriage in hospital infection outbreaks.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on bacterial dispersal by HCWs.
  • Analysis of outbreaks linked to asymptomatic colonization.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of the "cloud" phenomenon associated with Staphylococcus aureus.

    • Main Results:

    • Asymptomatic colonization (rectal, vaginal, skin) of HCWs with group A streptococci can lead to surgical site infections via airborne dispersal.
    • The "cloud" phenomenon describes airborne dispersal of Staphylococcus aureus associated with HCW skin colonization or viral infections.
    • Evidence supports the transmission of bacteria from colonized HCWs to patients.

    Conclusions:

    • Asymptomatic HCWs pose a significant risk for transmitting bacteria, contributing to hospital infections.
    • Airborne dispersal mechanisms, like the "cloud" phenomenon, are critical pathways for pathogen transmission in healthcare settings.
    • Recognizing and managing "cloud" HCWs is essential for infection control.