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Surface area matters: An evaluation of swabs and surface area for environmental surface sampling of healthcare pathogens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2022

Rolieria M. West Open the ORCID record for Rolieria M. West [Opens in a new window] ,
Alicia M. Shams Open the ORCID record for Alicia M. Shams [Opens in a new window] ,
Monica Y. Chan Open the ORCID record for Monica Y. Chan [Opens in a new window] ,
Laura J. Rose Open the ORCID record for Laura J. Rose [Opens in a new window]  and
Judith A. Noble-Wang Open the ORCID record for Judith A. Noble-Wang [Opens in a new window]
Rolieria M. West*
Affiliation:
Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Alicia M. Shams
Affiliation:
Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Monica Y. Chan
Affiliation:
Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Laura J. Rose
Affiliation:
Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Judith A. Noble-Wang
Affiliation:
Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
*
Author for correspondence: Rolieria M. West, E-mail: wgr2@cdc.gov
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Abstract

Flocked and foam swabs were used to sample five healthcare pathogens from three sizes of steel and plastic coupons; 26 cm2, 323 cm2, and 645 cm2. As surface area increased, 1–2 log10 decrease in recovered organisms (P < .05) was observed. Sampling 26-cm2 yielded the optimal median percent of pathogens recovered.

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 44 , Issue 5 , May 2023 , pp. 834 - 836
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Creative Commons
This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
Copyright
© Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022

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References

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