title: Sterile gloves: do they make a difference?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple studies have demonstrated that >10(5) organisms/mL are needed to cause a wound infection. The aim of this study was to determine if there was a difference in bacterial colony-forming units (CFUs) on sterile gloves versus clean gloves in an outpatient clinical setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Volunteers self-gloved with pairs of clean gloves, and culture swabs were obtained from the palmar surface. Cultures were also obtained after volunteers self-donned sterile gloves and donned sterile gloves with the assistance of a surgical technician.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five volunteers participated. Mean growths were as follows: clean gloves, 14.08 ± 15.45 CFUs/mL (range, 0-44 CFUs/mL); self-donned sterile gloves, 1.28 ± 4.28 CFUs/mL (range, 0-20 CFUs/mL); and technician-assisted sterile gloves, 1 positive with 8 CFUs/mL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a statistically significant difference in bacterial load on clean gloves versus sterile gloves (P < .001). However, when comparing the bacterial contamination on clean gloves with that required to cause an infection, it appeared that this statistically significant difference was clinically irrelevant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX, USA. jennifer.creamer1@us.army.mil
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Creamer
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D058491:Bacterial Load; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005932:Gloves, Surgical / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D013242:Sterilization; D014838:Volunteers