PRACTICE FORUMComputer keyboards and faucet handles as reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens in the intensive care unit*,**
Section snippets
Methods
Sampling occurred on 2 nonconsecutive days of 2 nonconsecutive weeks for 2 months and resulted in 8 collection periods. Ten computer keyboards (8 in patient rooms, 1 nurses’ station, and 1 doctors’ station) and 8 pairs of faucet handles located at the MICU were the environmental surfaces chosen for testing. A sterile rayon-tipped swab (Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, Ill) moistened with sterile saline solution (preservative-free) was moved over the entire surface being tested.
Results
A total of 144 environmental samples were obtained (80 keyboards and 64 faucet handles), collected over 8 sample periods. A total of 33 environmental isolates were obtained as a result of sampling. These 33 isolates were obtained from 26 sample sites, with 6 sample sites yielding multiple organisms. For the purposes of statistical analysis, each site was counted only once whether positive for single or multiple organisms. Fourteen patient isolates were identified for the 2-month period of our
Discussion
The most common pathogens implicated in nosocomial infections are gram-negative rods, mainly Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, and gram-positive cocci such as Enterococcus and S aureus.6, 7 Multidrug-resistant organisms such as MRSA and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus are increasing in frequency and are more difficult to treat.6, 8, 9
Hospital personnel and patients with colonization or infection have been identified as likely reservoirs during institutional outbreaks of MRSA.8, 11,
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the staff of the Tripler Army Medical Center microbiology laboratory and the Hawaii State Department of Health for their assistance.
References (14)
- et al.
Contaminated stethoscopes revisited
Arch Intern Med
(1996) Strategies for controlling methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in hospitals
J Chem
(1995)Environmental contamination with Staphylococcus aureus and outbreaks: the cause or the effect?
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
(1993)- et al.
Interpreting chromosomal DNA restriction patterns produced by pulse-field gel electrophoresis: criteria for bacterial strain typing
J Clin Microbiol
(1995) - et al.
An outbreak of infections caused by strains of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin and aminoglycosides
J Infect Dis
(1979) - et al.
Recovery of vancomycin-resistant enterococci on fingertips and environmental surfaces
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
(1995) - et al.
Major trends in the microbial etiology of nosocomial infection
Am J Med
(1991)
Cited by (0)
- *
The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the United States government.
- **
Reprint requests: Dr Joel T. Fishbain, MCHK-DMI, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI 96859-5000.