Staphylococcus aureus contamination of environmental surfaces and efficacy of alcohol wiping once daily in a hospital with a long-term care facility

Abstract

We evaluated Staphylococcus aureus contamination of door and wheelchair handles in a hospital with a care facility. In the hospital, 11 (27.5%) of 40 door handle sites and 7 (28.0%) of 25 wheelchair handle sites were contaminated. The S. aureus contamination density (mean ± SD) was 9.8 ± 14.0 colony-forming units (cfu) for door handles and 285.0 ± 731.6 cfu for wheelchair handles. In the long-term care facility, 18 (51.4%) of 35 door handle sites and 9 (36.0%) of 25 wheelchair handle sites were contaminated. The S. aureus contamination density was 215.3 ± 657.5 cfu for door handles and 295.7 ± 702.0 cfu for wheelchair handles. Because S. aureus contamination was frequently observed not only in the hospital but also in the care facility, we performed an evaluation to determine whether disinfection by wiping with alcohol once daily was effective for maintaining the cleanliness of door handles. S. aureus contamination was compared between door handles 24 hours after disinfection by wiping with 80% (v/v) ethanol once daily for 5 consecutive days (disinfection group) and door handles not disinfected for 5 days following a single disinfection with 80% (v/v) ethanol (nondisinfection group). The S. aureus level did not differ significantly between the disinfection and nondisinfection groups. Disinfection by wiping with alcohol at 24-hour intervals was not always effective in maintaining the cleanliness of door handles.