Impact of Room Location on UV-C Irradiance and UV-C Dosage and Antimicrobial Effect Delivered by a Mobile UV-C Light Device.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate ultraviolet C (UV-C) irradiance, UV-C dosage, and antimicrobial effect achieved by a mobile continuous UV-C device. DESIGN Prospective observational study. METHODS We used 6 UV light sensors to determine UV-C irradiance (W/cm2) and UV-C dosage (µWsec/cm2) at various distances from and orientations relative to the UV-C device during 5-minute and 15-minute cycles in an ICU room and a surgical ward room. In both rooms, stainless-steel disks inoculated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and Clostridium difficile spores were placed next to sensors, and UV-C dosages and log10 reductions of target organisms achieved during 5-minute and 15-minute cycles were determined. Mean irradiance and dosage readings were compared using ANOVA. RESULTS Mean UV-C irradiance was nearly 1.0E-03 W/cm2 in direct sight at a distance of 1.3 m (4 ft) from the device but was 1.12E-05 W/cm2 on a horizontal surface in a shaded area 3.3 m (10 ft) from the device (P4 to 1-3 for MRSA, >4 to 1-2 for VRE and >4 to 0 log10 for C. difficile spores, depending on the distance from, and orientation relative to, the device with 5-minute and 15-minute cycles. CONCLUSION UV-C irradiance, dosage, and antimicrobial effect received from a mobile UV-C device varied substantially based on location in a room relative to the UV-C device. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:667-672.

Baby bottle steam sterilizers disinfect home nebulizers inoculated with bacterial respiratory pathogens.

BACKGROUND: Contaminated nebulizers are a potential source of bacterial infection but no single method is universally accepted for disinfection. We hypothesized that baby-bottle steam sterilizers effectively disinfect home nebulizers. METHODS: Home nebulizers were inoculated with the common CF respiratory pathogens methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Burkholderia cepacia, Haemophilus influenzae, mucoid and non mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The nebulizers were swabbed for bacterial growth, treated with either the AVENT (Philips), the NUK Quick & Ready (Gerber) or DRY-POD (Camera Baby) baby bottle steam sterilizer and reswabbed for bacterial growth. RESULTS: All steam sterilizers were effective at disinfecting all home nebulizers. Viable bacteria were not recovered from any inoculated site after steam treatment, under any conditions tested. CONCLUSIONS: Steam treatment is an effective disinfection method. Additional studies are needed to confirm whether these results are applicable to the clinical setting.

Conjunctival colonization of infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit: a longitudinal analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of conjunctival colonization, identify the colonizing flora, and correlate culture results with physical findings in infants in a NICU. DESIGN: Surveillance study. SETTING: Level III NICU of a large university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: All infants admitted for longer than 24 hours during a 26-week period. METHODS: Weekly bacterial conjunctival cultures were performed for all infants. The conjunctival appearance at the time of culture was recorded. The frequency, identity, and correlation of culture results with physical findings were determined. RESULTS: One thousand ninety-one cultures were performed for 319 infants: 133 (42%) had no positive cultures and 186 (58%) had at least one positive culture. Culture analysis revealed that 411 (38%) were positive and yielded 494 isolates comprising more than 18 bacterial species. Bacteria most commonly isolated included coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) (75%), viridans group streptococci (8.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (3.8%), Enterococcus species (2.6%), and Serratia marcescens (2.4%). The frequency of non-CoNS isolates increased significantly during the first 6 weeks of patient hospital stay (6% [1 to 3 weeks] to 12% [4 to 6 weeks]; P = .01), with an increasing trend to 15 weeks (18%). Correlation of bacteriologic results with physical findings demonstrated that infants with non-CoNS isolates exhibited conjunctival edema, erythema, or exudates more frequently than did infants with CoNS alone (30% vs 13%; P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Conjunctival colonization was common among infants in a NICU. Prolonged hospitalization predisposes to colonization with potentially pathogenic organisms. Physical findings were more likely in patients with non-CoNS conjunctival isolates.

Antimicrobial activities of BMS-284756 compared with those of fluoroquinolones and beta-lactams against gram-positive clinical isolates.

The in vitro antibacterial activity of BMS-284756 was compared to those of ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, ceftriaxone, imipenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid against 492 gram-positive clinical isolates. BMS-284756 was the most-active agent against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus viridans, beta-hemolytic streptococci, methicillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-sensitive and -resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci, and enterococci.