Multicenter Study of Hand Carriage of Potential Pathogens by Neonatal ICU Healthcare Personnel

J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2015 Sep;4(3):276-9. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piu022. Epub 2014 Mar 30.

Abstract

A multicenter surveillance study was performed to determine the rates of hand carriage of potential pathogens among healthcare personnel in four neonatal intensive care units. Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, and gram-negative bacilli were recovered from 8%, 3%, and 2% of 1000 hand culture samples, respectively.

Keywords: gram-negative bacilli; hand hygiene; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); nurses; physicians.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Enterococcus / isolation & purification*
  • Enterococcus / pathogenicity
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / isolation & purification*
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / pathogenicity
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / epidemiology
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / microbiology
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / prevention & control*
  • Hand / microbiology
  • Hand Hygiene
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / pathogenicity
  • Personnel, Hospital* / education
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sentinel Surveillance
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / prevention & control*
  • United States