Authors
Geneva M Wilson, Virgil B Jackson, Linda D Boyken, Marin L Schweizer, Daniel J Diekema, Christine A Petersen, Patrick J Breheny, Matthew W Nonnenmann, Eli N Perencevich, CDC Prevention Epicenter Program
Publication date
2020/5
Journal
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
Volume
41
Issue
5
Pages
517-521
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Description
Background
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most frequently reported hospital-acquired infection in the United States. Bioaerosols generated during toilet flushing are a possible mechanism for the spread of this pathogen in clinical settings.
Objective
To measure the bioaerosol concentration from toilets of patients with CDI before and after flushing.
Design
In this pilot study, bioaerosols were collected 0.15 m, 0.5 m, and 1.0 m from the rims of the toilets in the bathrooms of hospitalized patients with CDI. Inhibitory, selective media were used to detect C. difficile and other facultative anaerobes. Room air was collected continuously for 20 minutes with a bioaerosol sampler before and after toilet flushing. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to assess the difference in bioaerosol production before and after flushing.
Setting
Rooms of patients with CDI at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Results
Bacteria were …
Scholar articles
GM Wilson, VB Jackson, LD Boyken, ML Schweizer… - Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 2020