Cleaning patient shower facilities: a novel approach to reducing patient exposure to aerosolized Aspergillus species and other opportunistic molds.

Anaissie, Elias J; Stratton, Shawna L; Dignani, Maria Cecilia; Lee, Choon-Kee; Mahfouz, Tahsine H; Rex, John H; Summerbell, Richard C; Walsh, Thomas J · Clin Infect Dis · 2002

case_series · Level IV

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Abstract

We previously have demonstrated that the hospital water-distribution system could be a reservoir for airborne molds that leads to secondary aerosolization of these molds in patient shower facilities. In this report, we show that cleaning the floors of patient shower facilities in a bone marrow transplantation unit reduced the mean air concentrations of molds, including Aspergillus species (from 12 cfu/m3 to 4 cfu/m3; P=.0047).

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