Review
Infectious Diseases
Aleksandra Marek, Eelco F. J. Meijer, Ermira Tartari, Johnny Zakhour, Anuradha Chowdhary, Andreas Voss, Souha S. Kanj, Abhijit M. Bal
Summary: The incidence of invasive fungal disease is increasing, especially in highly immunocompromized patients. Despite better understanding of risk factors and pathophysiology, nosocomial IFD remains common. Measures such as air filtration and environmental monitoring can reduce the burden of fungi in patient environment, but there is significant variation in laboratory methodologies and no agreed-upon thresholds for clinical risk. Future research is needed to ensure a safe environment for highly immunocompromized patients.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mary Cole
Summary: This study evaluates the impact of dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP) on bioburden in a neurobehavioral unit of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The results show that DHP can significantly reduce surface bioburden in occupied spaces, enhancing infection prevention and control efforts in LTCFs.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION CONTROL
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Michael P. Ryan, Ludmila Sevjahova, Rachel Gorman, Sandra White
Summary: Comamonas spp. are non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli that are commonly found in soil, water sources, and animal intestines. While they are primarily associated with environmental bioremediation, they can cause infections in humans. Treatment of infections associated with Comamonas species is generally not difficult, but antibiotic resistance is a concern. Therefore, it is important to include these pathogens in hospital screening programs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura J. Rose, Hollis Houston, Marla Martinez-Smith, Amanda K. Lyons, Carrie Whitworth, Sujan C. Reddy, Judith Noble-Wang
Summary: This study investigated the recovery of healthcare-associated pathogens from different surface materials, and found that the characteristics of the pathogens and the presence of a body fluid simulant greatly influenced the recovery rate, while the type of surface had less impact.
Letter
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Katrina Browne, Brett G. Mitchell
Summary: Infection transmission in healthcare is a complex issue that involves the interplay between pathogens, hosts, and the environment. Environmental cleaning is one strategy to prevent transmission, and a multimodal intervention is key to reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections through the environment.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND INFECTION CONTROL
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth C. Christenson, Ryan Cronk, Helen Atkinson, Aayush Bhatt, Emilio Berdiel, Michelle Cawley, Grace Cho, Collin Knox Coleman, Cailee Harrington, Kylie Heilferty, Don Fejfar, Emily J. Grant, Karen Grigg, Tanmay Joshi, Suniti Mohan, Grace Pelak, Yuhong Shu, Jamie Bartram
Summary: Healthcare-associated infections contribute to significant economic costs, with room for improvement in practice and implementation. Systematic evaluation of disinfection efficacy is essential for considering system-level effectiveness.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Geoffroy Hariri, Mathieu Genoud, Vincent Bruckert, Samuel Chosidow, Emmanuel Guerot, Antoine Kimmoun, Nicolas Nesseler, Emmanuel Besnier, Fabrice Daviaud, David Lagier, Julien Imbault, David Grimaldi, Adrien Bougle, Nicolas Mongardon
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the occurrence, characteristics, and outcomes of fungal mediastinitis after cardiac surgery. Among 73,688 cardiac surgery procedures, 40 patients developed fungal mediastinitis. Candida spp. was the most common fungal strain. Survivors were younger, had lower body mass index, and lower severity scores.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
J. Weber, L. Henssler, F. Zeman, C. Pfeifer, V. Alt, M. Nerlich, M. Huber, T. Herbst, M. Koller, W. Schneider-Brachert, M. Kerschbaum, T. Holzmann
Summary: This study investigated the efficacy of a newly developed antimicrobial coating containing nanosilver in long-term reduction of bacterial load on hospital surfaces. The results showed that the nanosilver-containing coating significantly reduced bacterial contamination and load. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of nanosilver antimicrobial coating in reducing bacterial colonization on frequently touched surfaces in a clinical setting.
JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jose Luis Perez-Diaz, Tania Martin-Perez, Cristina del alamo, Juan Sanchez-Garcia-Casarrubios, Jose Luis Copa-Patino, Juan Soliveri, Jose M. Orellana-Muriana, Jorge Perez-Serrano, Francisco Jose Llerena-Aguilar
Summary: This study experimentally tested different types of disinfecting fogs against Bacillus thuringiensis spores, a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis, both in the air and on various surfaces. The fog technology successfully removed spores from the air in just 20 minutes with a 1-minute application. The dynamics and characteristics of the fog were critical for optimal decontamination.
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alexandra Peters, Marie N. Schmid, Pierre Parneix, Dan Lebowitz, Marlieke de Kraker, Julien Sauser, Walter Zingg, Didier Pittet
Summary: Healthcare-associated infections are a serious threat to patient safety globally, and the importance of hospital environmental hygiene has been revalued in infection prevention and control. Interventions in the healthcare environment have shown a reduction in patient colonization and healthcare-associated infections caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms, but more high-quality studies are needed for further verification.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND INFECTION CONTROL
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
R. Bosco, G. Cevenini, S. Gambelli, N. Nante, G. Messina
Summary: This study aimed to assess the impact of different disinfection levels and the use of a UVC device on microbial contamination in operating theatres. The results showed that the UVC device effectively improved environmental disinfection and standardized the level of environmental hygiene. There was no significant difference in microbial reduction between different disinfection levels.
JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alexandra Peters, Marie N. Schmid, Marlieke E. A. de Kraker, Pierre Parneix, Didier Pittet
Summary: This study conducted a survey to evaluate the strengths and challenges of healthcare environmental hygiene (HEH) programs worldwide, based on the responses of healthcare facilities from different income levels. The results demonstrated that almost all participating healthcare facilities, regardless of income level, had deficiencies in the five components of the WHO multimodal strategy for HEH.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION CONTROL
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Lia Freier, Nicole Zacharias, Stefanie Gemein, Juergen Gebel, Steffen Engelhart, Martin Exner, Nico T. Mutters
Summary: Wastewater pipes serve as microbial ecosystems, which can pose a potential infection risk. This study investigates the impact of C. difficile-infected patients on environmental contamination and identifies potential reservoirs. The findings highlight the importance of addressing the risk of transmission and infection from these reservoirs to ensure patient safety.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Milena Trifunovic-Koenig, Stefan Bushuven, Bianka Gerber, Baerbel Otto, Markus Dettenkofer, Florian Salm, Martin R. Fischer
Summary: Training in hand hygiene for healthcare workers is crucial for reducing hospital-acquired infections. Previous studies have found overconfidence effects in self-assessments of hand hygiene competencies. Overconfidence can either lead to lack of motivation for training or higher motivation to attend training. These findings highlight the importance of further research on training motivation in hand hygiene for healthcare providers.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Zheyi Han, Ethan Pappas, Adrienne Simmons, Jacqueline Fox, Curtis J. Donskey, Abhishek Deshpande
Summary: The survey revealed differences in environmental surface disinfection practices across US hospitals, with hypochlorite and quaternary ammonium compounds being the most commonly used disinfectants. High-touch surfaces in contact isolation rooms were frequently disinfected using bleach, but floors in patient rooms were not disinfected as often.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION CONTROL
(2021)