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Comparative Study
. 2012 Jun;50(6):2140-1.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.00448-12. Epub 2012 Mar 29.

Comparison of swab and sponge methodologies for identification of Acinetobacter baumannii from the hospital environment

Kerri A Thom  1 , Tracy Howard, Sophie Sembajwe, Anthony D Harris, Paula Strassle, Brian S Caffo, Karen C Carroll, J Kristie Johnson
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of swab and sponge methodologies for identification of Acinetobacter baumannii from the hospital environment

Kerri A Thom et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

The ideal sampling method for identification of Acinetobacter baumannii from the health care environment is unknown. In this study, we sampled 145 surfaces in the rooms of patients with known A. baumannii colonization/infection, comparing two methods: swab and sponge. The sensitivity of the swab method was 87%, while the sensitivity of the sponge method was 75%. Given the comparable results, use of the cheaper and less laborious swab technique is acceptable and may be preferable.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Comparisons of sensitivities of swab (upper panel) and sponge (lower panel) methods to the gold standard, where “Any Positive” indicates positivity for growth of A. baumannii by either the swab or the sponge method. Sensitivity of swab method, 87% (53/61); sensitivity of sponge method, 75% (46/61).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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