Hospital tap water is a potential source of pathogenic bacteria associated with nosocomial infections. Infection control should include preventive measures to reduce the risk of waterborne infection. The efficiency of point-of-use water filters in infection control was assessed in the intensive care unit of a Hungarian hospital with long history of nosocomial Pseudomonas aeruginosa cases. All taps in the unit were fitted with disposable point-of-use filters. The incidence of nosocomial P. aeruginosa infections decreased from 2.71 to 0 cases/100 patient days when the filters were in place. Legionnaires' disease was not observed either during or outside the study period. Before the application of the filters, both P. aeruginosa and Legionella sp. were shown to colonize five of the seven taps. Filtration eliminated both bacteria completely, though secondary contamination was observed. Total genome restriction profiling of environmental and clinical P. aeruginosa isolates have shown the ubiquitous presence of a single genotype. The same genotype was detected in five of the seven previous nosocomial cases, which supports the assumption of water-derived infection. The results demonstrate that point-of-use filters are effective and cost-efficient measures in reducing health-care associated infections.
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Research Article|
May 31 2014
Infection control by point-of-use water filtration in an intensive care unit – a Hungarian case study
Zsófia Barna;
Zsófia Barna
1National Institute for Environmental Health, Department of Water Hygiene – Albert Flórián út 2–6, H-1097 Budapest, Hungary
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Katalin Antmann;
Katalin Antmann
2Semmelweiss University, Infection Control Unit – Nagyvárad tér 4, H-1089 Budapest, Hungary
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Judit Pászti;
Judit Pászti
3National Center for Epidemiology, Department of Phage-typing and Molecular epidemiology – Albert Flórián út 2-6, H-1097 Budapest, Hungary
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Renáta Bánfi;
Renáta Bánfi
1National Institute for Environmental Health, Department of Water Hygiene – Albert Flórián út 2–6, H-1097 Budapest, Hungary
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Mihály Kádár;
Mihály Kádár
1National Institute for Environmental Health, Department of Water Hygiene – Albert Flórián út 2–6, H-1097 Budapest, Hungary
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Anita Szax;
Anita Szax
1National Institute for Environmental Health, Department of Water Hygiene – Albert Flórián út 2–6, H-1097 Budapest, Hungary
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Melinda Németh;
Melinda Németh
2Semmelweiss University, Infection Control Unit – Nagyvárad tér 4, H-1089 Budapest, Hungary
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Eszter Szegő;
Eszter Szegő
4Semmelweiss University, Kútvölgyi Teaching Hospital – Kútvölgyi út 4, H-1125 Budapest, Hungary
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Márta Vargha
1National Institute for Environmental Health, Department of Water Hygiene – Albert Flórián út 2–6, H-1097 Budapest, Hungary
E-mail: [email protected]
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J Water Health (2014) 12 (4): 858–867.
Article history
Received:
February 10 2014
Accepted:
May 04 2014
Citation
Zsófia Barna, Katalin Antmann, Judit Pászti, Renáta Bánfi, Mihály Kádár, Anita Szax, Melinda Németh, Eszter Szegő, Márta Vargha; Infection control by point-of-use water filtration in an intensive care unit – a Hungarian case study. J Water Health 1 December 2014; 12 (4): 858–867. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2014.052
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