P9.09 Air Sampling for Bacterial and Fungal Cultures in Operating Rooms

Abstract

publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active.Poster Presentations S49 quantitative detection is difficult from environments in which mycobacteria co-exist with usual bacteria. Aim/Objective: To evaluate a method for the selective and quantitative detection of mycobacteria from water in hospital environments, and to detect usual bacteria and mycobacteria quantitatively using with the new method in endoscope reprocessors. Methods: We have developed a modified oxalic-acid method (OAM) anew. In the OAM, samples are treated with oxalic-acid solutions for 30 min. After neutralization with a phosphate buffer, samples are filtrated with filters (pore size: 0.45 mm). The filters are placed onto 7H11 agar which contained nalidixic acid and amphotericin B for culture of mycobacteria. Results: On the concentration of oxalic acid in OAM, a 0.05% solution killed most of gram-negative rods, whereas it did not decrease CFU of M. fortuitum, a rapid grower. Some of methylobacteria survived after the treatment, whose red or orange colonies were easily distinguished from those of other bacteria. A 0.5% solution reduced CFU of M. fortuitum, whereas most of M. avium were still alive after the treatment. Bacteriological surveillance was performed with OAM at 9 water samples in 9 endoscope reprocessors. In contaminated bacteria, range at usual bacteria distributed widely (from 0 to 258 CFU/ ml). Mycobacterial contamination surpassed that of usual bacteria (range from 6.8 to 635 CFU/ml, average 251 CFU/ml). The contamination of mycobacteria did not correlate with that of usual bacteria. In contaminated mycobacteria, rapid growers, especially M. fortuitum, were mainly detected. M. avium was also detected to some extent at 4 samples. Discussion/Conclusion: The new method of ours disclosed that water and supply water pipes in endoscope reprocessors were contaminated with mycobacteria more than with usual bacteria. P9.09Background: The usefulness of bacterial and fungal cultures in operating rooms has been questioned. In our country air cultures are mandatory because of local regulations. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of bacterial and fungal cultures in air samples in operating rooms. Methods: Operating rooms for vascular, heart, ocular and ortophedic surgery with prosthesis are classified as high risk. Cultures for bacteria and fungi early in the morning with an empty operating room and a second culture on the same day during surgical activity are made every month. The MAS 100 (MERCK) microbial air sampler is used. Samples for bacteria are cultured in blood agar and incubated 48 hours at 35ºC. Fungal cultures are made in Saboureaud + Cloranfenicol and incubated 7 days. Standard for high risk: fungal cultures 0 cfu/1000 liters of air and bacterial cultures <10...

Healthy schools: standardisation of culturing methods for seeking airborne pathogens in bioaerosols emitted from human sources

“…Sampling of human environments for bacteria tends to involve the use of TSA as it is perceived to be a good 'all-purpose' medium. Many research studies sampling air in hospitals for the presence of human pathogens have used blood agar (Augustowska and Dutkiewicz 2006), (Sarica et al 2002), (Ezpeleta et al 2006), and it is also used routinely in infection control monitoring procedures. Blood agar has also been used in dentistry to monitor the reduction in airborne human pathogens after air cleaning interventions (Feres et al 2010); (Hallier et al 2010); (Hubar et al 2009).…”