title: Molecular characterization of hand flora and environmental isolates in a community setting.
abstract: We analyzed 69 bacterial isolates, comprising seven species of gram-negative bacterial rods and three species of coagulase-negative staphylococci, recovered from both the hands of caretakers and their environment in households sampled in upper Manhattan. Repetitive sequence-based PCR and dendrogram analysis were used to determine strain similarity. Greater than 25% of individual species of Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, and coagulase-negative staphylococci recovered from the hands and immediate environment within each household shared the same genotype. This study is the first to demonstrate the frequency of bacteria shared within community households. These strains may serve as potential reservoirs for either community- or hospital-acquired infections.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, New York, NY, USA. pd23@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Preeti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pancholi
authors.forename: Mimi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: Phyllis Della
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Latta
mesh_terms: D003030:Coagulase / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005838:Genotype; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D003030:Coagulase; D004269:DNA, Bacterial