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Bacterial contamination of nonsterile disposable gloves before use
Philippe Berthelot1, Jonathan Dietemann, Pascal Fascia
1Infection Control Unit, Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, France. philippe.berthelot@chu-st-etienne.fr
Background:
After Bacillus cereus recovery in opened boxes of disposable gloves, the bacteriological contamination of disposable nonsterile gloves kept stored in native packages was investigated prospectively.
Methods:
Thirty-six commercially available nonsterile nonpowdered disposable gloves made of latex, vinyl, or nitrile were cultured.
Results:
A large variety of spore-forming and non-spore-forming bacteria was recovered, including Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens.
Conclusion:
This finding must be taken into consideration for care involving gloves in very immunocompromised patients.
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