Changes in hands microbiota associated with skin damage because of hand hygiene procedures on the health care workers - 12/08/11
, Lizandra Ferreira de Almeida e Borges, MSc a, Paulo Pinto Gontijo Filho, PhD b
Address correspondence to Lílian Alves Rocha, MSc, Laboratório de Microbiologia de Ensino, ARIMP, Av. Pará, 1720, Campus Umuarama, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brasil.Abstract |
Background |
The purpose of this study was evaluating the microbial flora of nurses’ healthy (n = 30) and damaged hand (n = 30) by frequent handwashing and/or wearing of gloves.
Methods |
Hand cultures were obtained both before and after washing hands with nonantimicrobial soap, through the sterile polyethylene bag method.
Results |
The bacteria counts of the hands of professionals with damaged hands were higher than those with healthy hands, and those with damaged hands presented higher frequency of Staphylococcus aureus, 16.7% versus 10%; gram-negative bacteria, 20% versus 6.7%; and yeast, 26.7% versus 20%, respectively, as well as the sum of these microorganisms. The presence of Staphylococcus haemolyticus was only seen in nurses with damaged hands (P = .02), and enterococci were not recovered from the hands of any volunteer. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant S aureus and gram-negative bacteria was also greater among damaged hands.
Conclusion |
The irritation caused on the skin by frequent washing and/or wearing of gloves is associated with changes in hands microbial flora, and their potential risks should be considered when institutions/users are selecting products/formulations to assure hands skin health and consequent compliance with their own hygiene procedures.
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| Supported in part by CNPq. |
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| Conflicts of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. |
Vol 37 - N° 2
P. 155-159 - mars 2009 Retour au numéro
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