Gaspard (2009)
Findings: HCW uniforms in LTCF found to be highly contaminated with MRSA. “This contamination can function as a reservoir, since pockets and their contents can contaminate carriers’ hands. Similarly, clothing can act as a vector …”
Citation: Journal of Hospital Infection 71: 170-175
Sexton (2006)
Findings: Over half of the surface samples taken from the beds and the mattresses were positive for MRSA” in a study evaluating the contamination of isolation rooms.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Infection 62: 187-194
Treakle (2009)
Findings: Laundering procedures for white coats varied widely. Of those tested, 23% were positive for S aureus (18% of those MRSA). “White coats may be an important vector for patient-to-patient transmission of Saureus.”
Citation: Am I Infect Control 37 (2): 101 -105
Neely (2000)
Findings: All MRSA/VRE isolates survived 1 day (some >90days) on scrub suits, lab coats, and privacy drapes. “Viability of enterococci on fabrics tended to be longer than their reported survival on other hospital surfaces.”
Citation: Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp 724-726
Creamer (2008)
Findings: Bed linens and pillow cases as source for MRSA, VRE, Pseudomonas and other pathogens. “Often only the bedrail has been sampled during investigation of outbreaks, rather than more important potential reservoirs of infection, such as mattresses and pillows, which are in direct contact with patients”.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Infection 69, pp 8-23
Ohl (2012)
Findings: Hospital privacy curtain are rapidly contaminated with a wide variety of pathogens. “92% (of curtains) placed during the study showed contamination within 1 week.”
Citation: American Journal of Infection Control xxx (2012) 1-3
Trillis (2008)
Findings: Privacy curtains are often contaminated with pathogens and “our data suggest that hospital curtains have the potential to contribute to contamination of HCWs’ hands, the major source of transmission of nosocomial pathogens.”
Citation: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology Vol. 29, No. 11 pp. 1074-1076
Wiener-Well (2011)
Findings: Up to 60% of hospital staff uniforms colonized with potentially harmful bacteria
Citation: American Journal of Infection Control Vol. 39, No. 7, pp 555-559
Barrier (1994)
Findings: Hospital linen heavily contaminated by B. Cereus
Citation: Epidemiology. Infection. 113, 297-306
Boyce (1997)
Findings: Assessment of environmental contamination in endemic cases of MRSA showed that over 50% of samples taken from bed linens and patient gowns were contaminated. “Personnel may contaminate their gloves (or possibly their hands) by touching such surfaces suggests that contaminated environmental surfaces may serve as a reservoir of MRSA in hospitals”.
Citation: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology Vol. 18, No. 9: 622-627
Wiener-Well (2011)
Findings: Up to 60% of white coats and scrubs were colonized with potentially harmful bacteria. “the staff’s perception of their attire’s cleanliness did not correlate with isolation of pathogenic bacteria.”
Citation: American Journal of Infection Control Vol. 39, No. 7, pp 555-559
Pinon (2013)
Findings: 55% of clean linen was contaminated prior to patient contact. “Actively antimicrobial textiles would represent a valuable measure to prevent textiles from being a vehicle for transfer of microorganisms. “
Citation: Advances in Micro-Biology,2013, 3, 515-519
Sifuentes (2013)
Findings: Hospital laundering is inconsistent and may be insufficient to remove microbial contaminants. “ . . almost all (93%) sampled cleaning towels contained viable microorganisms even after laundering.” Organisms included P luteola and Klebsiella.
Citation: American Journal of Infection Control 41: 912-915
Perry (2001)
Findings: 39% of nurse’s freshly laundered uniforms were positive for pathogens including S. Aureus, C. difficile and VRE. “With the possibility of cross-contamination to patients from staff uniforms, it is essential for clothing worn by healthcare workers to be adequately decontaminated”.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Infection 48: 238-241
Sasahara (2010)
Findings: B. Cereus led to an outbreak of intravenous catheter infections. “ . . . our findings demonstrated that B. cereus contamination of hospital linens can cause nosocomial bacteremia.”
Citation: Eur J Clin Microbial Infect Dis (2011) 30: 219–226
Duffy (2014)
Findings: Investigation of a fatal outbreak of mucormycosis. The results confirmed that “ . . . linens were the vehicle transmitting Rhizopus”.
Citation: Pediatr Infect Dis J 33: 472–476
Osawa (2003)
Findings: Probability of MRSA outbreak linked to staff white coats. ”This suggested a high probability of cross-infection between the patients and the hospital staff in the ward. . . doctors and nurses should be cautious that their coats might be contaminated with the prevailing strains of MRSA.”
Citation: J. Infect Chemother 9: 172-177
Shiomori (2001)
Findings: Changing bed sheets increases the level of airborne contaminants including MRSA. “During this test period, there were approximately 50 times the number of CFU as during the resting period.”
Citation: Arch Otolavyngol Head Neck Sorg. 127: 644-648
Shiomoni (2002)
Findings: Respirable-sized aerosols of MRSA can be spread during bed making which “ . . . may play a role in MRSA colonization in the nasal cavity, or sequentially, in respiratory MRSA infections.”
Citation: J Hosp Infect 50: 30 -35
Bloomfield (2015)
Findings: Soft surfaces such as privacy curtains and pillows are among the “lesser known and underestimated reservoirs for microorganisms which are the triggering sources and vehicles for outbreaks or sporadic cases of infection.”
Citation: GMS Hygiene and Control, 10: Doc 4
Tarrant (2018)
Findings: Clostridium difficile spores remain on bed sheets even after they are processed through a commercial washer extractor. This may lead to outbreaks of C. diff infection in the hospital
Citation: Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (2018), 0, 1–6
Sexton (2018)
Findings: Soft surfaces are involved in the spread of microbes throughout healthcare facilities. Routine application of an EPA registered sanitizer for soft surfaces can help to reduce the microbial load and minimize exposure risks
Citation: American Journal of Infection Control 46: 39-43
Westerling (2018)
Findings: A review of the literature revealed that hospital linen can be a source of pathogenic contamination and donated linens must be managed with care.
Citation: American Journal of Infection Control 46: 118 – 119
Michael (2017)
Findings: Workers who handle soiled linen may have a higher risk of exposure to C. difficile, MRSA, and VRE than those who handle clean linens.
Citation: Annals of Work Exposures and health 61: 1087-96
John (2017)
Findings: During simulations of patient care, the sleeve cuff of long-sleeved white coats frequently became contaminated with a viral DNA marker that could be transferred. These results provide support for the recommendation that healthcare personnel wear short sleeves to reduce the risk for pathogen transmission.
Citation: Open Forum Infect Dis 4: S34
Pinon (2013)
Findings: 55% of clean linen was contaminated prior to patient contact. “Actively antimicrobial textiles would represent a valuable measure to prevent textiles from being a vehicle for transfer of microorganisms. “
Citation: Advances in Micro-Biology,2013, 3, 515-519