Microbial burden on environmental surfaces in long-term care facilities: a quantitative analysis.

Area of Science:

• Infection control
• Microbiology
• Environmental hygiene

Background:

• Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) present unique challenges for infection control due to vulnerable populations.
• Environmental surfaces can act as reservoirs for epidemiologically important pathogens (EIP).

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively analyze the microbial burden and prevalence of EIP on environmental surfaces in LTCFs.
• To assess the relationship between resident colonization status and environmental contamination.

Main Methods:

• Microbiological samples were collected from resident rooms and common areas in five LTCFs using Rodac plates.
• Epidemiologically important pathogens (EIP) included methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), Clostridioides difficile, and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative rods (MDR-GNRs).

Main Results:

• Rooms of colonized residents showed significantly higher EIP counts (8.32 CFU) compared to non-colonized residents (0.78 CFU).
• Sixty-five percent of resident rooms and 50% of common areas were contaminated with at least one EIP.
• MRSA was the most frequently detected EIP, followed by C. difficile and MDR-GNRs.

Conclusions:

• Frequent environmental contamination with EIP is prevalent in LTCFs.
• Resident colonization status is a significant predictor of increased EIP levels in the immediate room environment.