Vehicle For Pathogens Research Articles

Ambulance sanitation in Italy: a pilot study

Abstract
 Introduction: the assessment of biological agents' exposure in the work environment is an employer's duty. Air and surfaces could be transmission's vehicles of pathogens. We consider the ambulance as the work environment where, respecting hygienic targets of low risk, we can prevent out-of-hospital infections for workers and patients. Our study analyzes standard sanitation and fumigation; the aim is to reach the lower level of surfaces' contamination. 
 Materials and Methods: we chose, thanks to bibliography, three points of sampling: stretcher, oxygen knob and backdoor's handle. The points were tested before sanification on three different ambulances. We made thus standard sanitation with Sodium Hypochlorite on two ambulances and fumigation on the other one. After that, we sampled the same three points on each ambulance. Samples were analyzed with standard culture methods after 72 hours. 
 Results: first samples showed a high bacterial load on every surface. Both standard sanification and fumigation showed success in decreasing bacterial load. Without approved rating standards for ambulance's hygiene we refer to ISPESL's Guidelines about safety and hygiene in surgical wards. Here the standard is 50 cfu/sample, referred to a surface of 20 cm², without pathogens. 
 Discussion and Conclusions: our analysis is just quantitative, further qualitative analysis should be conducted in order to assess pathogens on ambulances. Both standard sanitation and fumigation show success in decreasing bacterial load however with higher levels than those indicated by guidelines. Further analysis would be needed to define load standards in order to ensure a safe environment for workers and patients.

Surface microbiology of the electronic menu in all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants in Toronto, Ontario

The use of electronic menus within the food industry is rapidly expanding. Currently, the role of electronic menus as a vehicle for pathogens has not been explored within the restaurant setting. This preliminary study was conducted to assess the hygienic cleanliness of electronic menus and identify if their use in all-you-can-eat (AYCE) sushi restaurants may pose a public health hazard. Five AYCE sushi restaurants in Toronto, Ontario, with electronic menus were randomly selected and were visited twice by the researcher and a public health inspector. A total of 30 electronic menus were sampled using 3M hydrated sponges with buffered peptone water broth and tested for E. coli and total coliforms. All electronic menus tested negative for E. coli although four electronic menus showed presence of total coliforms. The findings from this study suggest the current use of tablets as electronic menus in AYCE sushi restaurants may be less threatening to the safety of the public than previously thought. However, it is important for restaurants to be aware of the potential for electronic menus to serve as a fomite, and proper sanitation procedures should be monitored and enforced to maintain cleanliness.

Microbiological colonization of healthcare workers’ mobile phones in a tertiary-level Italian intensive care unit

BackgroundCareful hand hygiene of healthcare workers is recommended to reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients. Mobile phones are commonly used during work shifts and may act as vehicles of pathogens. ObjectiveTo assess the colonizsation rate of intensive care unit healthcare workers’ mobile phones before and after work shifts. MethodsProspective observational study conducted in an academic, tertiary-level intensive care unit. Healthcare workers (including doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants) had their mobile phones sampled for microbiology before and after work shifts. Samples were taken with a swab in a standardizsed modality. ResultsFifty healthcare workers participated in the study (91% of the department staff). One hundred swabs were taken from 50 mobile phones. Forty-three healthcare workers (86%) reported a habitual use of their phones during the work shift. All phones (100%) were positive for bacteria. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Coagulase Negative Staphylococci, Bacillus sp. and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (97%, 56%, 17%, respectively). No patient admitted to the intensive care unit during the study period was positive for bacteria found on healthcare workers’ mobile phones. No difference in bacteria types and burden was found between the beginning and the end of work shifts. ConclusionHealthcare workers’ mobile phones are colonized even before the work shift and irrespective of the patients’ microbiological flora.

Low-water activity foods: increased concern as vehicles of foodborne pathogens.

Foods and food ingredients with low water activity (a(w)) have been implicated with increased frequency in recent years as vehicles for pathogens that have caused outbreaks of illnesses. Some of these foodborne pathogens can survive for several months, even years, in low-a(w) foods and in dry food processing and preparation environments. Foodborne pathogens in low-a(w) foods often exhibit an increased tolerance to heat and other treatments that are lethal to cells in high-a(w) environments. It is virtually impossible to eliminate these pathogens in many dry foods or dry food ingredients without impairing organoleptic quality. Control measures should therefore focus on preventing contamination, which is often a much greater challenge than designing efficient control measures for high-a(w) foods. The most efficient approaches to prevent contamination are based on hygienic design, zoning, and implementation of efficient cleaning and sanitation procedures in the food processing environment. Methodologies to improve the sensitivity and speed of assays to resuscitate desiccated cells of foodborne pathogens and to detect them when present in dry foods in very low numbers should be developed. The goal should be to advance our knowledge of the behavior of foodborne pathogens in low-a(w) foods and food ingredients, with the ultimate aim of developing and implementing interventions that will reduce foodborne illness associated with this food category. Presented here are some observations on survival and persistence of foodborne pathogens in low-a(w) foods, selected outbreaks of illnesses associated with consumption of these foods, and approaches to minimize safety risks.