BACKGROUND: The role of hands in disease transmission is well established, and the importance of handwashing is recognized. However, the exits of paper-towel dispensers used in hand drying may be contaminated, and the functionality of handwashing equipment increasingly is being questioned. OBJECTIVES: We sought to study the transfer and cross-contamination potential between hands, towels, and dispenser exits if one or more is contaminated using bacteria representative of the skin's flora. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A generic wall-mounted paper-towel dispenser and a range of different paper towels were used. Volunteers with either clean or contaminated hands were asked to remove, using a range of protocols, towels from dispensers which themselves were either clean or contaminated. Previously clean surfaces were then microbiologically tested. RESULTS: Recoverable bacterial transfer rates from a contaminated hand to clean dispenser exits ranged from 0.01% to 0.64% depending on the bacteria used with an even higher transfer rate for clean towels. The reverse transfer (ie, from contaminated exits to clean hands) was between 12.4% and 13.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that zig-zag transfer of bacteria between paper-towel dispensers and hands can take place if either one is contaminated. This potential should be considered in the design, construction, and use of paper-towel dispensers.
BACKGROUND: The role of hands in disease transmission is well established, and the importance of handwashing is recognized. However, the exits of paper-towel dispensers used in hand drying may be contaminated, and the functionality of handwashing equipment increasingly is being questioned. OBJECTIVES: We sought to study the transfer and cross-contamination potential between hands, towels, and dispenser exits if one or more is contaminated using bacteria representative of the skin's flora. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A generic wall-mounted paper-towel dispenser and a range of different paper towels were used. Volunteers with either clean or contaminated hands were asked to remove, using a range of protocols, towels from dispensers which themselves were either clean or contaminated. Previously clean surfaces were then microbiologically tested. RESULTS: Recoverable bacterial transfer rates from a contaminated hand to clean dispenser exits ranged from 0.01% to 0.64% depending on the bacteria used with an even higher transfer rate for clean towels. The reverse transfer (ie, from contaminated exits to clean hands) was between 12.4% and 13.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that zig-zag transfer of bacteria between paper-towel dispensers and hands can take place if either one is contaminated. This potential should be considered in the design, construction, and use of paper-towel dispensers.
Authors: Gerardo U Lopez; Charles P Gerba; Akrum H Tamimi; Masaaki Kitajima; Sheri L Maxwell; Joan B Rose Journal: Appl Environ Microbiol Date: 2013-07-12 Impact factor: 4.792
Authors: Luz Del Carmen Huesca-Espitia; Jaber Aslanzadeh; Richard Feinn; Gabrielle Joseph; Thomas S Murray; Peter Setlow Journal: Appl Environ Microbiol Date: 2018-04-02 Impact factor: 4.792
Authors: Sulaiman Ali Alharbi; Saleh Hussein Salmen; Arunachalam Chinnathambi; Naiyf S Alharbi; M E Zayed; Bassam O Al-Johny; Milton Wainwright Journal: Saudi J Biol Sci Date: 2015-06-26 Impact factor: 4.219