The relevance of sink proximity to toilets on the detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase inside sink drains

Effectiveness of a hydrogen peroxide foam against bleach for the disinfection of sink drains

“…A control ICU also underwent surveillance swabbing of the sink drains; this control unit had not had any patients hospitalized with KPC-producing organisms. 4 A high proportion of sink drains within this control unit were KPC positive, especially sinks located in close proximity to toilets. 4 Based on these findings, we aimed to identify a practical approach for routine disinfection of sink drains within our hospital.…”

The role of hospital environment in transmissions of multidrug-resistant gram-negative organisms

“…A surveillance study in an ICU found sink drains located near the toilet were much more likely to be positive for bla KPC (20/23 sinks drains) compared to sink drains near the entry door (5/23 sink drains) [28]. The difference in contamination of sink drains based on the proximity to the toilets suggest that sink drains may be contaminated by the droplets generated during flushing of toilets.…”

How frequently should sink drains be disinfected?

“…The sink drains were sampled as previously described using E-swabs (Copan Diagnostics, Brescia, Italy). 5,7 Swabs were introduced as far down as possible through the sink's strainer. The sink-drain walls were swabbed using two 360°circular motions.…”

“…4 Recent studies have shown that sink drains are potentially important environmental reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. 5,6 We recently found that sink drains adjacent to toilets within the patient zone had much higher presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) genes than sink drains farther away from toilets. 5 To follow-up this finding, we compared a hydrogen peroxide product against bleach, finding the hydrogen peroxide product more effective at decreasing colony-forming units (CFU) in the drains.…”

“…5,6 We recently found that sink drains adjacent to toilets within the patient zone had much higher presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) genes than sink drains farther away from toilets. 5 To follow-up this finding, we compared a hydrogen peroxide product against bleach, finding the hydrogen peroxide product more effective at decreasing colony-forming units (CFU) in the drains. 7 Here, we aimed to determine the ideal frequency of sink drain disinfection and to compare the effectiveness of 2 different hydrogen peroxide disinfectants at decreasing CFU in sink drains.…”