title: Low frequency of environmental contamination with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an inner city emergency department and a human immunodeficiency virus outpatient clinic.
abstract: We investigated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) environmental contamination in an inner city outpatient clinic and emergency department (ED). Moistened cotton-tipped swabs were used to sample 63 surfaces in the outpatient clinic and 69 surfaces in the ED. MRSA was identified on none of the 63 surfaces in the outpatient clinic and on 7% of the 69 surfaces in the ED. Our findings may have implications for cleaning and disinfection regimens in outpatient settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, St Thomas' Hospital and King's College London, London, UK. jon.otter@bioquell.com
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Otter
authors.forename: Catherine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Passaretti
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Karen C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Trish M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Perl
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006678:HIV; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*