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Dangerous bacteria found on hospital floors
by Melissa Jenco, News Content Editor
Deshpande A, et al. Am J Infect Control. 2017;45:336-338, http://bit.ly/2nrJr1g.
Hospital floors may be contaminated with pathogens that can be transmitted to patients' hands and lead to
infections, according to a new study.
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Researchers took culture samples from 318 floor sites at five Ohio hospitals, testing for Clostridium difficile,
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).
They took samples from C. difficile infection isolation rooms as well as non-isolation rooms and cultured " hightouch" objects that had contact with the floor and hands such as personal items, medical devices and bed
linens.
C. difficile was the most common of the three pathogens present and was found in relatively similar amounts in
rooms that had and had not been cleaned recently. MRSA and VRE levels were lower in recently cleaned
rooms.
Roughly 41% of the occupied rooms contained high-touch items that also were in contact with the floor. The
team cultured 31 bare and gloved hands used to pick up the items and found MRSA on 18%, VRE on 6% and
C. difficile on 3%.
"These results suggest that floors in hospital rooms could be an underappreciated source for dissemination of
pathogens," authors wrote.
They suggested keeping high-touch objects off the floor and said hospitals should re-examine floor-cleaning
strategies and consider using ultraviolet-C room decontamination devices.
The team also called for studies on other means of pathogens spreading from floors, including shoes and
wheelchairs.
Linda Greene, R.N., M.P.S., CIC, FAPIC, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and
Epidemiology, which published the study in its journal, said in a news release the research is "critically
important."
"Even though most facilities believe they are taking the proper precautions, this study points out the importance
of ensuring cleanliness of the hospital environment and the need for education of both staff and patients on this
issue," she said.
Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics