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Remote Laboratory Management: Respiratory Virus Diagnostics
Published on: April 6, 2019
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Respiratory viruses in the patient environment
Linh T Phan1, Dagmar M Sweeney2, Dayana Maita3
1Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|February 12, 2020
Summary
Hospitals can harbor respiratory viruses on surfaces and in the air. Healthcare workers (HCWs) risk infection and virus spread through contaminated surfaces during patient care.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Environmental Health
- Hospital Epidemiology
Background:
- Hospitalized patients with respiratory viral infections pose a risk of environmental contamination.
- Understanding virus transmission pathways is crucial for infection control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify virus presence in air and on surfaces in patient rooms.
- To investigate the link between healthcare activities and viral contamination.
Main Methods:
- Prospective observational study in an acute-care hospital.
- Air sampling (stationary and personal) and surface swabbing.
- Quantitative real-time PCR for viral pathogen detection.
Main Results:
- Viruses detected in 43% of stationary and 22% of personal air samples.
- Frequent virus detection on all sampled surfaces.
- Increased air contamination associated with healthcare worker encounters.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare workers face risks of acquiring and spreading respiratory viruses.
- Environmental contamination, particularly on fomites, contributes to virus dissemination.
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