1. Factors influencing environmental sampling recovery of healthcare pathogens from non-porous surfaces with cellulose sponges
- Author
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Laura J. Rose, Hollis Houston, Marla Martinez-Smith, Amanda K. Lyons, Carrie Whitworth, Sujan C. Reddy, and Judith Noble-Wang
- Subjects
Acinetobacter baumannii ,Physiology ,Social Sciences ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Microbial Physiology ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Psychology ,Bacterial Physiology ,Materials ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Body Fluids ,Bacterial Pathogens ,Klebsiella pneumoniae ,Chemistry ,Blood ,Medical Microbiology ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Anatomy ,Pathogens ,Plastics ,Research Article ,Surface Properties ,Clostridium Difficile ,Science ,Materials Science ,Enterococcus Faecalis ,Microbiology ,Specimen Handling ,Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci ,Humans ,Bacterial Spores ,Cellulose ,Microbial Pathogens ,Behavior ,Bacteria ,Clostridioides difficile ,Organic Chemistry ,Gut Bacteria ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Bacteriology ,Bandages ,Health Care ,Steel ,Health Care Facilities ,Sedentary Behavior ,Enterococcus - Abstract
Results from sampling healthcare surfaces for pathogens are difficult to interpret without understanding the factors that influence pathogen detection. We investigated the recovery of four healthcare-associated pathogens from three common surface materials, and how a body fluid simulant (artificial test soil, ATS), deposition method, and contamination levels influence the percent of organisms recovered (%R). Known quantities of carbapenemase-producing KPC+ Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC), Acinetobacter baumannii, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, and Clostridioides difficile spores (CD) were suspended in Butterfield’s buffer or ATS, deposited on 323cm2 steel, plastic, and laminate surfaces, allowed to dry 1h, then sampled with a cellulose sponge wipe. Bacteria were eluted, cultured, CFU counted and %R determined relative to the inoculum. The %R varied by organism, from 1 log10 within the 60 min drying time. For all organisms, the %R was significantly greater if suspended in ATS than if suspended in Butterfield’s buffer (p
- Published
- 2022