Real-time polymerase chain reaction for quantitative assessment of common pathogens associated with healthcare-acquired infections on hospital textiles
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online November, 2013
Real-time polymerase chain reaction for quantitative assessment of common pathogens associated with healthcare-acquired infections on hospital textiles
A hospital environment may act as a significant reservoir for potential pathogens that can be transmitted with hospital textiles, which could represent a source of healthcare-acquired infections. Quantitative assessment of nosocomial pathogens with real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on textiles can serve to verify the achievement of standards for textile hygiene of hospital laundry that assess the risk for acquiring hospital infection from inappropriately disinfected textiles. The aim of the study was to establish qPCR for quantitative assessment of selected common nosocomial pathogens (Clostridium difficile, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) on hospital textiles and to compare the efficiency of the molecular method to the standard procedures for evaluating the bio burden of textiles in hospitals. This study demonstrated that presence of nosocomial pathogens on hospital textiles can be confirmed with qPCR even where conventional techniques do not give any results. qPCR offers a possibility to confirm the presence of microorganisms in dead or viable but non-culturable states that cannot be detected by conventional sampling techniques but may still pose a hazard to public health.
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