Abstract
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are of global concern in this present era and white coats play an important role in the transmission of HAIs. The most common healthcare-associated bacteria are Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanni, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species (ESKAPE bugs). These healthcare-associated bacteria are capable of surviving on white coats which could act as fomites in the transmission of HAIs. The purpose of this study was to compare the duration of survival of healthcare-associated bacteria on different materials used for making white coats. Materials like pure cotton, artificial cotton, cotton silk, spun and crepe were cut into swatches of 1cm2 size and sterilized by autoclaving. Five different bacteria isolated from clinical specimens were grown on 5 % sheep blood agar and bacterial suspensions were made in sterile physiological saline. The swatches were immersed in bacterial suspension and kept in petri plates at 25°C. The viable counts of bacteria were determined at definite time intervals by surface plate method. The present study shows that among the healthcare-associated bacteria, S.aureus survived the maximum up to 52 days. The duration of survival of S.aureus was significantly longer than P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii (p <0.05). A.baumannii survived only up to 20 days maximum. All the healthcare-associated bacteria significantly survived for the shortest duration of time on crepe. Therefore, crepe could be a better material used for making white coats.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to compare the duration of survival of healthcare-associated bacteria on different materials used for making white coats
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are mainly caused by healthcare-associated bacteria belonging to the “ESKAPE bugs” which include Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanni, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species.[1]
The duration of survival of different bacteria on white coat may vary based on the type of bacteria, number of bacteria, material used for making white coat, environmental temperature and humidity
Summary
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are mainly caused by healthcare-associated bacteria belonging to the “ESKAPE bugs” which include Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanni, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species.[1] Different modes of transmission of these bacterial pathogens in the health care settings include direct and indirect contact, inhalation, ingestion and inoculation.[2] Fomites like white coats, gloves, masks and instruments play a significant role in the transmission of healthcareassociated bacteria in the healthcare settings. The white coat is a sign of purity, but still could function as a fomite in the transmission of microorganisms in the healthcare settings.[2,3]. The duration of survival of different bacteria on white coat may vary based on the type of bacteria, number of bacteria, material used for making white coat, environmental temperature and humidity. Among the gram negative bacteria E.coli, P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii are the common healthcareassociated bacteria known to cause HAIs.[6]
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