The public washroom - friend or foe? An observational study of washroom cleanliness combined with microbiological investigation of hand hygiene facilities

Autor: Gilman Kit Hang Siu, Lorna K.P. Suen, Kiki Y. K. Lo, Yue Ping Guo, Margaret May O'Donoghue, Simon K. W. Yeung
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
0301 basic medicine
Microbiology (medical)
Washroom
media_common.quotation_subject
030106 microbiology
Colony Count
Microbial
Microorganisms
Antimicrobial susceptibility
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Data entry
Toilet
Bacterial counts
lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Hygiene
Environmental health
Humans
Species identification
Medicine
MALDI-TOF MS
Pharmacology (medical)
lcsh:RC109-216
030212 general & internal medicine
Toilet Facilities
media_common
Public health
Environmental microbiology
Bacteria
business.industry
Research
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
Antimicrobial
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Cross-Sectional Studies
Infectious Diseases
Spectrometry
Mass
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
Paper towel
Equipment Contamination
Public Facilities
Hand drying
business
Hand hygiene
Hand Disinfection
Zdroj: Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2019)
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
ISSN: 2047-2994
Popis: Background Many people use handwashing and hand-drying facilities in public washrooms under the impression that these amenities are hygienic. However, such facilities may be potential sites for the transmission of pathogenic bacteria. This study aimed to examine the hygiene facilities provided including handwashing and hand-drying facilities in public washrooms. Total bacterial counts and species identification were determined for hand-drying facilities. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were performed. Methods The bacterial contamination levels of 55 public washrooms ranging in category from low class communities to high end establishments, were examined. The hygienic environment and facilities of the washrooms were analysed using an electronic checklist to facilitate immediate data entry. Pre-moistened sterile swabs were used to collect samples from areas around the outlet of paper towel dispensers, air outlet of air dryers, exit door handles and paper towels in the washrooms. Total bacterial counts were performed and isolates identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion. Results The high and middle-income categories washrooms generally had cleaner facilities and environment followed by those in low categories. Fifty-two bacterial species were identified from the 55 investigated washrooms. Over 97% of the pathogenic Staphylococcus spp. tested were resistant to at least one first-line antimicrobial therapeutic agent, including penicillin, cefoxitin, erythromycin, co-trimoxazole, clindamycin and gentamicin, and 22.6% demonstrated co-resistance to at least three antimicrobial agents, with co-resistance to penicillin, erythromycin and clindamycin being the most common. Conclusion Our findings suggest that hand-drying facilities in public washrooms can act as reservoirs of drug-resistant bacteria. The importance of frequent cleaning and maintenance of public washrooms to promote safe hand hygiene practices for the public are emphasised. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13756-019-0500-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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