Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to design and implement a comprehensive infection control program and measure its effects on the number and types of infectious illnesses experienced by children attending a specialized preschool program. Methods Participants in the study were
ABSTRACT Large numbers of bacteria and viruses when seeded into household toilets were shown to remain in the bowl after flushing, and even continual flushing could not remove a persistent fraction. This was found to be due to the adsorption of the organisms to the
Editorial Note: The following are excerpts from a presentation by Dr. Stephanie Dancer. Why the debate about MRSA and hospital cleaning? “There is no evidence” – cleaning has never been regarded as an evidence-based science Aesthetic considerations make cleaning difficult to assess No way
Particles can be produced by many different sources. Inert (nonliving) particles usually arise from the rubbing of one item against another, such as the dust produced when you saw through a piece of wood. Humans shed lots of inert particles, as in the continuous sloughing
Abstract Aims To determine the transfer efficiency of micro-organisms from fomites to hands and the subsequent transfer from the fingertip to the lip. Methods and Results Volunteers hands were sampled after the normal usage of fomites seeded with a pooled culture of
Abstract It is believed that surface-dried viruses can remain infectious and may therefore pose a threat to public health. To help address this issue, we studied 0.1 N NaOH and 0.1% hypochlorite for their capacity to inactivate surface-dried lipid-enveloped (LE) [human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), bovine
Throughout written history, the most devastating pandemic illnesses (i.e., pneumonic plague, small pox, inhalation anthrax, tuberculosis, influenza and even chicken pox) were largely spread through the airborne route. These diseases were responsible for more deaths than any wars or other natural disasters. The ever-increasing urbanization
Abstract Hospital cleaning continues to attract patient, media and political attention. In the UK it is still primarily assessed via visual inspection, which can be misleading. Calls have therefore been made for a more objective approach to assessing surface cleanliness. To improve the management of
Abstract Hospital cleaning is a neglected component of infection control. In the UK, financial constraints have forced managers to re-evaluate domestic services and general cleaning has been reduced to the bare minimum. Services have been contracted out in some hospitals, which has further lowered
Leptospirosis is a serious but neglected emerging disease that infects humans through contaminated water. Research published in the May 2008 issue of the journal Microbiology showed for the first time how bacteria that cause the disease survive in the environment. Leptospirosis is a major public