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Long-term metabolic persistence of gram-positive bacteria on health care-relevant plastic
Loree C Heller1, Chelsea M Edelblute2
1Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA; School of Medical Diagnostic & Translational Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.
Background:
Health care-associated opportunistic pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium persist on dry environments and can contribute to organism transmission through contact. These organisms can be monitored on surfaces by culture, molecular methods, or metabolic assays. This study was designed to determine the kinetics of bacterial persistence on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a plastic commonly used in the manufacture of bedrails.
Materials And Methods:
Polymerase chain reaction for genomic DNA was used to confirm the presence of bacteria cells on this plastic irrespective of viability. Bacterial viability was measured by culture, ATP quantification, and a metabolic assay at time points up to and longer than 1 year.
Results:
Polymerase chain reaction confirmed the presence of bacteria on the plastic for the entire time period studied. However, S aureus culturability was reduced after 3 and 7 weeks; neither organism was culturable after 1 year. At 7 weeks, ATP levels were reduced for both organisms, paralleling S aureus culturability but indicating that ATP quantification did not predict E faecium culturability. S aureus-reducing potential was reduced after 7 weeks, whereas E faecium-reducing potential reached the level of fresh inoculum after 12 hours in broth culture. Low but significant levels of metabolic activity were detected for each organism after 1 year.
Conclusions:
S aureus and E faecium cells may retain viability on plastic for longer than 1 year.
Insights
Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium can persist on plastic surfaces for over a year, posing a risk for healthcare-associated infections. Viability assays show low metabolic activity even after 12 months.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Materials Science
Background:
- Healthcare-associated opportunistic pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium can persist on dry surfaces.
- These bacteria contribute to transmission via contact, necessitating surface monitoring.
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic is commonly used in medical devices like bedrails.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the persistence kinetics of S. aureus and E. faecium on ABS plastic.
- To evaluate bacterial viability on plastic surfaces over an extended period (over 1 year).
- To compare different viability assessment methods for detecting persistent bacteria.
Main Methods:
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed bacterial presence irrespective of viability.
- Bacterial viability was assessed using culture, ATP quantification, and metabolic assays.
- Samples were analyzed at multiple time points up to and beyond one year.
Main Results:
- PCR confirmed bacterial presence on ABS plastic for the entire study duration.
- Culturable S. aureus and E. faecium decreased significantly, becoming undetectable after 1 year.
- ATP levels decreased, but ATP quantification did not consistently predict E. faecium culturability.
- Metabolic activity assays detected low but significant levels of viable bacteria after 1 year.
Conclusions:
- S. aureus and E. faecium cells can remain viable on ABS plastic surfaces for over one year.
- Metabolic activity assays may offer a more sensitive measure of long-term bacterial viability on plastics compared to ATP quantification.
- Findings highlight the potential for prolonged environmental contamination in healthcare settings.
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