Is there an association between airborne and surface microbes in the critical care environment?

Smith, Johan; Adams, Colin; King, Marco‐Felipe; Noakes, CJ; Robertson, Chris; Dancer, S.J.

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2018.04.003

Cited by 29 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Mean bioburden levels recorded in this study are lower than those from other ICU studies which have reported levels between 350 and 450 cfu/m 3 [18,19], and higher than those from a more recent study (<40 cfu/m 3 ) [20]. The differences are likely due to confounding factors including differences in air change ventilation rates, number of medical staff and patients, patient conditions and, importantly, the sample number and collection times.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 83%

“…All airborne microbes ultimately end up depositing on to surrounding surfaces, and so can contribute indirectly to infection transmission via direct surface contact. A recent study aimed to establish a correlation between air and surface microbes in the critical care environment, further emphasizing this phenomenon [20]. Their research found a strong association between passive air sampling counts and surface counts, and made the important point that surface bacteria will include a portion of airborne bacteria after settling.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Continuous monitoring of aerial bioburden within intensive care isolation rooms and identification of high-risk activities

Dougall

Booth

Khoo

et al. 2019

Journal of Hospital Infection

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The spread of pathogens via the airborne route is often underestimated, and little is known about the extent to which airborne microbial contamination levels vary throughout the day and night in hospital facilities. Aims: To evaluate airborne contamination levels within intensive care unit (ICU) isolation rooms over 10e24-h periods in order to improve understanding of the variability of environmental aerial bioburden, and the extent to which ward activities may contribute. Methods: Environmental air monitoring was conducted within occupied and vacant inpatient isolation rooms. A sieve impactor sampler was used to collect 500-L air samples every 15 min over 10-h (08:00e18:00 h) and 24-h (08:00e08:00 h) periods. Samples were collected, room activity was logged, and bacterial contamination levels were recorded as colony-forming units (cfu)/m 3 air. Findings: A high degree of variability in levels of airborne contamination was observed across all scenarios in the studied isolation rooms. Air bioburden increased as room occupancy increased, with air contamination levels highest in rooms occupied for the longest time during the study (10 days) (mean 104.4 cfu/m 3 , range 12e510 cfu/m 3 ). Counts were lowest in unoccupied rooms (mean 20 cfu/m 3 ) and during the night. Conclusion: Peaks in airborne contamination were directly associated with an increase in activity levels. This study provides the first clear evidence of the extent of variability in microbial airborne levels over 24-h periods in ICU isolation rooms, and found direct correlation between microbial load and ward activity.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuous monitoring of aerial bioburden within intensive care isolation rooms and identification of high-risk activities

Dougall

Booth

Khoo

et al. 2019

Journal of Hospital Infection

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This commentary summarises the study; why it was performed, how it was performed, and the main results, which were published in a sequence of three papers by the authors of this article [2][3][4]. The findings suggest the main direction of travel for the study pathogen, S. aureus, as well as highlighting the most important reservoirs in an ICU.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Dynamic Transmission of Staphylococcus Aureus in the Intensive Care Unit

Adams

Dancer

2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Staphylococcus aureus is an important bacterial pathogen. This study utilized known staphylococcal epidemiology to track S. aureus between patients, surfaces, staff hands and air in a ten-bed intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: Patients, air and surfaces were screened for total colony counts and S. aureus using dipslides, settle plates and an MAS-100 slit-sampler once a month for 10 months. Data were modelled against proposed standards for air and surfaces, and ICU-acquired staphylococcal infection. Whole-cell genomic typing (WGS) demonstrated possible transmission pathways between reservoirs. Results: Frequently touched sites were more likely to be contaminated (>12 cfu/cm2; p = 0.08). Overall, 235 of 500 (47%) sites failed the surface standard (≤2.5 cfu/cm2); 20 of 40 (50%) passive air samples failed the “Index of Microbial Air” standard (2 cfu/9 cm plate/h), and 15/40 (37.5%) air samples failed the air standard (<10 cfu/m3). Settle plate data were closer to surface counts than automated air data; the surface count most likely to reflect pass/fail rates for air was 5 cfu/cm2. Surface counts/bed were associated with staphylococcal infection rates (p = 0.012). Of 34 pairs of indistinguishable S. aureus, 20 (59%) showed autogenous transmission, with another four (12%) occurring between patients. Four (12%) pairs linked patients with hand-touch sites and six (18%) linked airborne S. aureus, staff hands and hand-touch sites. Conclusion: Most ICU-acquired S. aureus infection is autogenous, while staff hands and air were rarely implicated in onward transmission. Settle plates could potentially be used for routine environmental screening. ICU staphylococcal infection is best served by admission screening, systematic cleaning and hand hygiene.

show abstract

“…At the Gaweye district hospital in Niamey, the biocleaning was done with only detergents that are difficult to provide by officials (sometimes provided by their agents funds). This low level of cleanliness was confirmed by the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in all contact media analyzed (Beggs et al, 2014, Dallolio et al, 2017, Smith et al, 2018, Agodi et al,2015, Fauci et al, 2017.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Assessment of the quality of hospital hygiene at Gaweye District hospital in Niamey in 2018

Dégbey¹,

Yansambou²,

Sopoh³

et al. 2019

Int. J. Bio. Chem. Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nowadays, infections linked to health care and services constitute a great issue of public health. Such a challenge has, not only, contributed to the implementation of structure and, but also, to the increase of the culture of quality and security in health centers. In Niger, this aspect is less explored and documented. The present study aimed at evaluating the quality of hospital hygiene at the hospital of Gaweye district (Niamey) in 2018. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and evaluative study of the quality assessment of hospital hygiene at the Gaweye District Hospital. The components under study were: "structure", "Process", and "results". These consist of subcomponents which, in turn, are filled with variables. Ratings were based on standard thresholds (insufficient: <60%, moderate: [60%-80%], and good: ≥ 80%). The results show (i) insufficient availability and accessibility of inputs (structure) with a 25% quality rating, (ii) an inadequacy in the process with a score of 41.8%, which highlight the non-observance of hospital hygiene barriers; (iii) a deficiency in the results which showed the non-compliance of the barriers to the standards and an insufficient quality of hospital hygiene. Significant discrepancies imply a deficiency in the quality of hospital hygiene at the Niamey Gaweye District Hospital in 2018. It is, therefore, important to take these differences into account and correct them in order to improve the quality of services provided at the Gaweye District Hospital in Niamey.

show abstract

Is there an association between airborne and surface microbes in the critical care environment?

Abstract: Passive air sampling provides quantitative data analogous to that obtained from surfaces. Settle plates could serve as a proxy for routine environmental screening to determine the infection risk in ICU.

Cited by 29 publications

References 20 publications

Continuous monitoring of aerial bioburden within intensive care isolation rooms and identification of high-risk activities

Continuous monitoring of aerial bioburden within intensive care isolation rooms and identification of high-risk activities

Dynamic Transmission of Staphylococcus Aureus in the Intensive Care Unit

Assessment of the quality of hospital hygiene at Gaweye District hospital in Niamey in 2018

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About