Rheinbaben F, Schünemann S, Gross T, Wolff M H
Henkel-Ecolab, Düsseldorf, Germany.
J Hosp Infect. 2000 Sep;46(1):61-6. doi: 10.1053/jhin.2000.0794.
Contamination of the environment with pathogens is the prerequisite for contact infections. The aim of this study was to elucidate how viruses can be transmitted from a primary contact person to further individuals. Bacteriophage straight phiX174 was chosen as a model virus. In its stability straight phiX174 is comparable with the most resistant human pathogenic viruses, e.g. polio- or parvoviruses. About 10(7)pfu were applied to exposed contact points such as door handles or the hands of volunteers. After touching of these handles and common social contacts like hand shaking, re-isolation rates were determined from the hands of our test persons. Contaminated door handles and skin surfaces were found to be efficient sources for potential infection. At least 14 persons could be contaminated by horizontal spread, one after the other by touching the same door handle. Successive transmission from one person to another could be followed up to the sixth contact person. These results were confirmed under everyday life conditions in a flat shared by four students. The transmission could not be prevented by the usual standards of hand hygiene, practised in this household. straight phiX174 could be reisolated after 24h from the hands of all persons tested even after normal use and cleaning of their hands. This might be improved by the use of liquid soap dispensers.
病原体对环境的污染是接触感染的前提条件。本研究的目的是阐明病毒如何从主要接触者传播给其他个体。噬菌体φX174被选作模型病毒。就稳定性而言，φX174与最具抗性的人类致病病毒（如脊髓灰质炎病毒或细小病毒）相当。将约10⁷噬菌斑形成单位（pfu）接种到暴露的接触点，如门把手或志愿者的手上。在触摸这些把手以及进行诸如握手等常见社交接触后，从我们测试人员的手上测定再分离率。发现受污染的门把手和皮肤表面是潜在感染的有效源头。通过水平传播，至少14人可能会被感染，即一个接一个地触摸同一个门把手。从一个人到另一个人的连续传播可以追踪到第六个接触者。在四名学生合住的公寓的日常生活条件下，这些结果得到了证实。在这个家庭中实施的常规手部卫生标准无法防止传播。即使经过正常洗手和清洁，24小时后仍能从所有测试人员的手上重新分离出φX174。使用液体皂液器可能会改善这种情况。
