A comparison of the recoverable proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from two different types of papers

• Main Authors: Kacmaz, Birgul, Gul, Serdar
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House 2016-03-01
• Series: GMS Hygiene and Infection Control
• Subjects: environmental contamination; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA; paper
• Online Access: http://www.egms.de/static/en/journals/dgkh/2016-11/dgkh000266.shtml

Aim: Paper is used for various purposes in hospitals. Generally, there are two different types of paper, which are commonly used in our facility: wood-free paper, and paper containing wood. We compared the recoverable proportion of methicillin-resistant (MRSA; ATCC 43300) from the surface of such papers. Method: The papers were divided into two groups: Group 1: wood-free paper; Group 2: paper containing wood. The papers were contaminated in a standardized procedure with 0.1 mL of a 5×10 CFU MRSA/mL stock solution. Results: The recoverable proportion of MRSA was higher in the wood-containing papers than in the papers without wood (P=0.043). Conclusion: This study indicates that if paper is purchased for healthcare facilities it should not contain wood, but rather wood-free paper types should be considered.