Real-time polymerase chain reaction for quantitative assessment of common pathogens associated with healthcare-acquired infections on hospital textiles

Urška Rabuza (Author), Sabina Fijan (Author), Sonja Šostar-Turk (Author), Vid Mlakar (Author)

Abstract

A hospital environment may act as a significant reservoir for potential pathogens that can be transmitted with hospital textiles, which could represent a source of healthcare-acquired infections. Quantitative assessment of nosocomial pathogens with real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on textiles can serve to verify the achievement of standards for textile hygiene of hospital laundry that assess the risk for acquiring hospital infection frominappropriately disinfected textiles. The aim of the study was to establish qPCR for quantitative assessment of selected common nosocomial pathogens (Clostridium difficile, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniaeand Pseudomonas aeruginosa) on hospital textiles and to compare the efficiency of the molecular method to the standard procedures for evaluating the bio burden of textiles in hospitals. This study demonstrated that presenceof nosocomial pathogens on hospital textiles can be confirmed with qPCR even where conventional techniques do not give any results. qPCR offers apossibility to confirm the presence of microorganisms in dead or viable but non-culturable states that cannot be detected by conventional sampling techniques but may still pose a hazard to public health.

Keywords

healthcare-acquired infections;hospital textiles;Clostridium difficile;Staphylococcus aureus;Klebsiella pneumoniae;Pseudomonas aeruginosa;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2013
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UM FZV - Faculty of Health Sciences
UDC:	616-022.36:614
COBISS:	1913252
ISSN:	1746-7748
Views:	1108
Downloads:	114
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	English
URN:	URN:SI:UM:
Type (COBISS):	Not categorized
Pages:	str. 2032-2041
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ83
Issue:	ǂIss. ǂ19
Chronology:	2013
DOI:	10.1177/0040517513487792
ID:	1030103