Soltani Mina, Bahrami Asl Farshad, Khorsandi Hassan, Shafiei-Irannejad Vahid
Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Hosp Top. 2025 Jul 3:1-14. doi: 10.1080/00185868.2025.2527722.
Although inhalation of contaminated air and contact with contaminated surfaces were known as main routes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, the degree of surface contamination in actual hospital environments and the effectiveness of regular disinfection remained crucial questions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on various hospital surfaces before and after disinfection in two large hospitals of Urmia megacity, Iran.
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 144 samples were collected from high-touch surfaces inside and outside of patient rooms, both before and after disinfection. Samples were taken using sterile swabs and SARS-CoV-2 was identified real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (rRT-PCR).
SARS-CoV-2 was found on 38% (8/21) of surfaces within patient rooms in Hospital A and 20% (3/15) in Hospital B before disinfection. Rates of contamination outside patient rooms were 7/21 in Hospital A and 7% (1/15) in Hospital B. Especially, SARS-CoV-2 was positive in 81.8% of ventilation duct dampers (air outlet covers of mechanical ventilation) from Hospital A and 66.7% from Hospital B. Most importantly, no SARS-CoV-2 was found in any samples collected following disinfection (using benzalkonium chloride and 70% ethanol with a 15-minute contact time).
The results revealed a high likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 being present on surfaces near patients. Many samples from ventilation duct dampers also tested positive, which pointed to the role of airborne transmission. Importantly, after cleaning, no SARS-CoV-2 was detected on any surfaces, showing that standard hospital cleaning practices effectively lower surface contamination.
尽管吸入受污染空气和接触受污染表面被认为是严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的主要传播途径，但实际医院环境中的表面污染程度以及常规消毒的效果仍是关键问题。本研究的目的是调查伊朗乌尔米耶市两家大型医院消毒前后各医院表面SARS-CoV-2的存在情况。
在这项横断面研究中，共采集了144份样本，分别在消毒前后从病房内外的高接触表面采集。样本采用无菌拭子采集，并用实时逆转录聚合酶链反应（rRT-PCR）鉴定SARS-CoV-2。
消毒前，A医院病房内38%（8/21）的表面发现SARS-CoV-2，B医院为20%（3/15）。A医院病房外的污染率为7/21，B医院为7%（1/15）。特别是，A医院81.8%的通风管道风门（机械通风的出风口盖）和B医院66.7%的通风管道风门SARS-CoV-2呈阳性。最重要的是，消毒后（使用苯扎氯铵和70%乙醇，接触15分钟）采集的任何样本中均未发现SARS-CoV-2。
结果显示患者附近表面存在SARS-CoV-2的可能性很高。许多通风管道风门样本检测也呈阳性，这表明了空气传播的作用。重要的是，清洁后，任何表面均未检测到SARS-CoV-2，这表明标准的医院清洁措施可有效降低表面污染。
