Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Following in Real Time the Impact of Pneumococcal Virulence Factors in an Acute Mouse Pneumonia Model Using Bioluminescent Bacteria
Published on: February 23, 2014
Evaluation of adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence-based system in rooms occupied by patients with methicillin
Anna Montgomery1,2, Kimberly Hammer3,4, Dubert Guerrero4,5
1Department of Research, San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Background:
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based monitoring systems can detect the amount of organic matter that remains on hospital surfaces after cleaning. We evaluated an ATP-based monitoring system in assessing contamination of high touched objects in rooms occupied by patients on methicillin resistant S. aureus precautions.
Methods:
We compared the ATP to standard aerobic cultures as well as to gloved hand culture to predict risk of healthcare-worker hand contamination.
Results:
More than a third of high touch object surfaces were measured unclean with ATP yet only reflects about 5% chance of contaminating healthcare-workers' hands.
Conclusions:
Our study emphasizes the shortcomings of using the ATP system even in pathogen specific environment such as surfaces in methicillin resistant S. aureus rooms.
Insights
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) monitoring systems for hospital surface cleanliness are unreliable. Even when ATP indicates contamination, the risk of healthcare worker hand contamination remains low, especially in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus rooms.
Area of Science:
- Infection Control
- Healthcare Epidemiology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based systems detect organic residue on surfaces post-cleaning.
- These systems are used to assess hospital surface cleanliness.
- Evaluation focused on high-touch objects in rooms with patients under methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) precautions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate an ATP-based monitoring system for assessing contamination.
- To determine the system's effectiveness in MRSA isolation rooms.
- To predict the risk of healthcare worker hand contamination.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of ATP readings with standard aerobic cultures.
- Utilized gloved hand cultures to assess contamination risk.
- Focused on high-touch surfaces in patient rooms.
Main Results:
- Over one-third of high-touch surfaces registered as unclean via ATP.
- ATP readings indicated only a 5% chance of healthcare worker hand contamination.
- Discrepancy noted between ATP-detected organic matter and actual microbial contamination risk.
Conclusions:
- ATP systems show limitations in assessing surface cleanliness, even in specific pathogen environments.
- The system may overestimate the risk of contamination in MRSA isolation rooms.
- Relying solely on ATP may not accurately reflect infection control risks.
More Related Videos
09:29In Vivo Investigation of Antimicrobial Blue Light Therapy for Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Burn Infections Using Bioluminescence Imaging
Published on: April 28, 2017
05:13LED-Based In Vitro Screening for Assessing Photoactivable Molecules in Bacterial Photodynamic Inactivation
Published on: January 24, 2025
