title: Air-borne microbial contamination of surfaces in a UK dental clinic.
abstract: Little is known about the number, type, or antibiotic resistance profiles, of air-borne microbes present in hospital settings yet such information is important in designing effective measures to reduce cross-infection. In this study settle plates were used to identify and quantify the air-borne microbes present in a dental clinic. All isolates were identified to species level using partial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and their susceptibility to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, penicillin, tetracycline or vancomycin was performed. The mean numbers of viable bacteria detected for each sampling occasion during periods of clinical activity and in the absence of such activity were 21.9 x 10(2 )cfu/m2/h and 2.3 x 10(2 )cfu/m2/h respectively. One hundred ninety-three distinct colony morphotypes, comprising 73 species, were isolated during the study and 48% of these were resistant to at least one antibiotic. The mean numbers of different morphotypes detected per sampling occasion were 14.3 and 5 during periods of clinical activity and inactivity respectively. Propionibacterium acnes, Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus epidermidis were frequently isolated regardless of whether any clinical activities were taking place. These findings highlight the importance of preventing surfaces from becoming reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and thereby contributing to cross-infection in the dental clinic.
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbial Diseases, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Decraene
authors.forename: Derren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ready
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pratten
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D003740:Dental Clinics; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S