Bacterial contamination of nurses' white coats after first and second shift.
Microbial load of nurses' white coats in a hospital was determined on polyester cotton blend and polyester fabric after the first and second work shift. Contamination on the blend fabric was significantly higher (P < .05) than on polyester. After the second shift, bacterial colonies on polyester and blend fabrics increased by ~98% and ~70%, respectively. Among the isolates detected on polyester after the second shift, Escherichia coli was the most abundant (47.8%), followed by staphylococci (19.1%).
Knitwear Design Department, National Institute of Fashion Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: priyanka.gupta@nift.ac.in.
Priyanka
P
Gupta
Knitwear Design Department, National Institute of Fashion Technology Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Nilanjana
N
Bairagi
Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India.
Richa
R
Priyadarshini
Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India.
Ashutosh
A
Singh
Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India.
Deepika
D
Chauhan
Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India.
Deepti
D
Gupta
D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000382:microbiology*
Bacterial flora; Hospital textiles; Infection control