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Can environmental contamination be explained by particular traits associated with patients?
B Pilmis1, T Billard-Pomares2, M Martin3
1Equipe Mobile de Microbiologie Clinique, Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint Joseph, Paris, France; EA4043 Unité Bactéries Pathogènes et Santé, Université Paris-Sud Paris-Saclay, Chatenay-Malabry, France.
The Journal of Hospital Infection
|December 25, 2019
Summary
Environmental contamination in patient rooms was low, with non-pathogenic bacteria found in most samples. No patient risk factors were identified for contamination, suggesting environmental hygiene practices are effective.
Area of Science:
- Infection Prevention and Control
- Environmental Hygiene
- Healthcare Epidemiology
Background:
- Limited understanding of patient-specific risk factors for environmental contamination in healthcare settings.
- Importance of identifying contamination sources to prevent healthcare-associated infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the rate of environmental contamination in patient rooms.
- To investigate individual patient characteristics as risk factors for environmental contamination.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study involving daily sampling of rooms and critical surfaces.
- Swabbing of five critical surfaces twice daily, before and after cleaning.
- Logistic regression analysis to associate patient characteristics with environmental contamination.
Main Results:
- 1052 environmental samples from 107 patients; 11% of samples exceeded 2.5 cfu/cm².
- No patient variables were associated with environmental contamination in univariate or multivariate analyses.
- Known multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) carriers/infected patients, urinary catheter use, and single-room hospitalization were protective against contamination.
Conclusions:
- Low rates of pathogenic bacterial environmental contamination observed in a non-outbreak setting.
- Environmental contamination primarily involved non-pathogenic bacteria.
- No identified patient risk factors for environmental contamination, highlighting effective hygiene protocols.
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