Contamination of the hospital environment with gastroenteric viruses: comparison of two pediatric wards over a winter season

Gallimore, Chris I., Taylor, Clive, Gennery, Andrew R., Cant, Andrew J., Galloway, Angela, Xerry, Jacqueline, Adigwe, Juliet and Gray, Jim J. (2008) Contamination of the hospital environment with gastroenteric viruses: comparison of two pediatric wards over a winter season. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 46 (9). pp. 3112-3115. ISSN 1098-660X

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Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine the extent of gastroenteric virus contamination in a pediatric primary immunodeficiency (PPI) ward and a general pediatric ward over a winter season and to determine whether changes to hospital infection control interventions would have an impact on environmental contamination levels within pediatric units. Environmental swabs were collected weekly from 11 sites in both wards from 15 December 2005 to 3 March 2006 and examined for the presence of norovirus (NoV), astrovirus, and rotavirus (RV) by reverse transcriptase PCR. Viruses were detected in 17% and 19% of swabs from both wards. Virus contamination for NoV and RV decreased from 20% to 6% and 15% to 10% of swabs, respectively, in the PPI ward from the 2004 study by Gallimore et al. (C. I. Gallimore, C. Taylor, A. R. Gennery, A. J. Cant, A. Galloway, M. Iturriza-Gomara, and J. J. Gray, J. Clin. Microbiol. 44:395-399, 2006). Overall, changes to cleaning protocols were deemed to have reduced the level of environmental contamination with gastroenteric viruses, but contamination still occurred due to a breakdown in infection control procedures indicated by contamination in areas frequented by parents but used only occasionally by staff.

Item Type: Article
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User: Rhiannon Harvey
Date Deposited: 28 Apr 2011 14:08
Last Modified: 05 Mar 2024 10:30
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/29849
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00400-08

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