Linh T Phan1, Dagmar Sweeney2, Dayana Maita3, Donna C Moritz3, Susan C Bleasdale3, Rachael M Jones1. 1. Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Ilinois. 2. Sequencing Core, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. 3. Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the magnitude of virus contamination on personal protective equipment (PPE), skin, and clothing of healthcare workers (HCWs) who cared for patients having acute viral infections. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Acute-care academic hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 59 HCWs agreed to have their PPE, clothing, and/or skin swabbed for virus measurement. METHODS: The PPE worn by HCW participants, including glove, face mask, gown, and personal stethoscope, were swabbed with Copan swabs. After PPE doffing, bodies and clothing of HCWs were sampled with Copan swabs: hand, face, and scrubs. Preamplification and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods were used to quantify viral RNA copies in the swab samples. RESULTS: Overall, 31% of glove samples, 21% of gown samples, and 12% of face mask samples were positive for virus. Among the body and clothing sites, 21% of bare hand samples, 11% of scrub samples, and 7% of face samples were positive for virus. Virus concentrations on PPE were not statistically significantly different than concentrations on skin and clothing under PPE. Virus concentrations on the personal stethoscopes and on the gowns were positively correlated with the number of torso contacts (P < .05). Virus concentrations on face masks were positively correlated with the number of face mask contacts and patient contacts (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare workers are routinely contaminated with respiratory viruses after patient care, indicating the need to ensure that HCWs complete hand hygiene and use other PPE to prevent dissemination of virus to other areas of the hospital. Modifying self-contact behaviors may decrease the presence of virus on HCWs.
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the magnitude of virus contamination on personal protective equipment (PPE), skin, and clothing of healthcare workers (HCWs) who cared for patients having acute viral infections. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Acute-care academic hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 59 HCWs agreed to have their PPE, clothing, and/or skin swabbed for virus measurement. METHODS: The PPE worn by HCW participants, including glove, face mask, gown, and personal stethoscope, were swabbed with Copan swabs. After PPE doffing, bodies and clothing of HCWs were sampled with Copan swabs: hand, face, and scrubs. Preamplification and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods were used to quantify viral RNA copies in the swab samples. RESULTS: Overall, 31% of glove samples, 21% of gown samples, and 12% of face mask samples were positive for virus. Among the body and clothing sites, 21% of bare hand samples, 11% of scrub samples, and 7% of face samples were positive for virus. Virus concentrations on PPE were not statistically significantly different than concentrations on skin and clothing under PPE. Virus concentrations on the personal stethoscopes and on the gowns were positively correlated with the number of torso contacts (P < .05). Virus concentrations on face masks were positively correlated with the number of face mask contacts and patient contacts (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare workers are routinely contaminated with respiratory viruses after patient care, indicating the need to ensure that HCWs complete hand hygiene and use other PPE to prevent dissemination of virus to other areas of the hospital. Modifying self-contact behaviors may decrease the presence of virus on HCWs.
Authors: Patricia E Lee; Robert Kozak; Nasrin Alavi; Hamza Mbareche; Rose C Kung; Kellie E Murphy; Darian Perruzza; Stephanie Jarvi; Elsa Salvant; Noor Niyar N Ladhani; Albert J M Yee; Louise-Helene Gagnon; Richard Jenkinson; Grace Y Liu Journal: CMAJ Open Date: 2022-05-24
Authors: Kelly A Reynolds; Marc P Verhougstraete; Kristina D Mena; Syed A Sattar; Elizabeth A Scott; Charles P Gerba Journal: J Appl Microbiol Date: 2021-09-18 Impact factor: 4.059
Authors: Miguel Ángel Salazar; Leslie Chavez-Galan; Armando Castorena-Maldonado; Maribel Mateo-Alonso; Nadia Otilia Diaz-Vazquez; Ana María Vega-Martínez; José Arturo Martínez-Orozco; Eduardo Becerril-Vargas; Fernando Manuel Sosa-Gómez; Hilda Patiño-Gallegos; Delfino Alonso-Martínez; Enrique López-Segundo; Fernando Vidal; Luis Joan Velasco-González; Silvia Pérez-Pulido; Patricio Santillán-Doherty; Justino Regalado-Pineda; Jorge Salas-Hernández; Ivette Buendía-Roldán Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2021-04-13