Environmental contamination makes an important contribution to hospital infectio

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Environmental contamination makes an important contribution to hospital infection

Journal of Hospital Infection (2007) 65(S2) 50–54

Summary Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-
resistant enterococci (VRE) are capable of surviving for days to weeks
on environmental surfaces in healthcare facilities. Environmental surfaces
frequently touched by healthcare workers are commonly contaminated in
the rooms of patients colonized or infected with MRSA or VRE. A number
of studies have documented that healthcare workers may contaminate their
hands or gloves by touching contaminated environmental surfaces, and that
hands or gloves become contaminated with numbers of organisms that
are likely to result in transmission to patients. Pathogens may also be
transferred directly from contaminated surfaces to susceptible patients.
There is an increasing body of evidence that cleaning or disinfection of the
environment can reduce transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens.
Because routine cleaning of equipment items and other high-touch surfaces
does not always remove pathogens from contaminated surfaces, improved
methods of disinfecting the hospital environment are needed. Preliminary
studies suggest that hydrogen peroxide vapour technology deserves further
evaluation as a method for decontamination of the environment in
healthcare settings