title: Bacterial colonization of wristwatches worn by health care personnel.
abstract: We examined bacterial colonization of wristwatches worn by 100 health care personnel in a community-teaching hospital. Seventy-eight percent of the wristwatches were colonized with bacterial skin flora, with only 1 of the 100 watches growing a potential pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus. Watches are unlikely to be sources of health-care associated pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Moses Cone Hospital, Departments of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, 1200 N. Elm St., Greensboro, NC, 27401, USA. yogesh.bhusal@mosescone.com
authors.forename: Yogesh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bhusal
authors.forename: Sorin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laza
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006282:Health Personnel; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans