Bacteria in gowns, stainless steel in hospitals can lead to serious illness

LONDON: Surgical gowns and stainless steel remain contaminated with the pathogen Clostridium difficile even after being treated with the recommended disinfectant, according to a study by a scientist of Indian origin. "The spores of the bacteria have been able to grow after decontamination," said Tina Joshi, a senior lecturer in molecular microbiology at the University of Plymouth, UK.

"This shows that spores are becoming resistant and we need to reconsider how we decontaminate and use hygiene measures in hospitals," said Joshi.

The C difficile infects approximately half a million Americans each year, causing 29,000 casualties. According to the study published in the journal Clinical Microbiology Reviews, a review of the ASM, the new strains are responsible for severe cases of serious diseases that are difficult to treat.

Symptoms can range from diarrhea to fever, rapid heartbeat, inflammation of the bowels and kidney failure.

This pathogen usually affects older adults in hospitals and long-term care facilities.

The motivation for the research was a case in an American hospital where gowns were suspected of contributing to the transmission of C difficile, said Joshi.

The gowns were contaminated with the deadly 027 strain of C difficile.

The researchers examined the ability of the C difficile to adhere to hospital surgical gowns and then transfer them, applying spores in sterilized water, at a concentration of one million per milliliter (ml), directly on the surgical gowns under liquid for 10 seconds. 30 seconds, one minute, five minutes and 10 minutes before being removed and thrown away.

This methodology was designed to mimic the transfer of infectious body fluids into a clinical setting to badess the potential for transmission to patients.

The number of spores recovered from gowns did not increase with contact time, suggesting that spore transfer between surfaces occurred within the first 10 seconds following contact, Joshi said.

According to the researchers, single-use gowns are ineffective in trapping spores in their fibers and preventing the subsequent transmission of spores, as evidenced by the recovery of spores from gowns.

This underscores the importance of ensuring that single-use surgical isolation gowns are used appropriately in the prevention and control of infections.

The gowns were finally treated with a disinfectant containing 1000 ppm of chlorine for 10 minutes.

The disinfectant did not manage to clean the blouses of C difficile. This "showed that gowns can pick up and retain spores," said Joshi.

Spores from stainless steel and vinyl floors also remained viable after treatment with the disinfectant.

"Because of this resistance, it may be prudent to reconsider the amount of biocide we currently use and to ensure that infection control is normalized.

This work can be applied to hospitals around the world and should help inform future guidelines on infection control and biocides, "said Joshi.