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. 2022 Nov 9:12:1040047.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1040047. eCollection 2022.

cleanSURFACES® intervention reduces microbial activity on surfaces in a senior care facility

Justin R Wright  1 , Truc T Ly  1 , Colin J Brislawn  1 , Jeremy R Chen See  1 , Samantha L C Anderson  1 , Jordan T Pellegrino  1 , Logan Peachey  1 , Christine Y Walls  1 , Jessica A Bess  2 , Anne L Bailey  3 , Katie E Braun  4 , Alexander J Shope  1   2 , Regina Lamendella  1
Affiliations

cleanSURFACES® intervention reduces microbial activity on surfaces in a senior care facility

Justin R Wright et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

As one of the top public health challenges outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), estimates report that hospital acquired infections (HAIs) claim the lives of 99,000 Americans and cost healthcare providers over $28 billion each year. In addition to underlying conditions related to age, elderly patients in long-term care facilities are at an elevated risk of acquiring HAIs. A large percentage of HAIs is attributable to contaminated surfaces and medical devices. To that end, this study utilized a metatranscriptomic sequencing workflow (CSI-Dx™) to profile active microbial communities from surfaces in the HJ Heinz Community Living Center, a long-term care facility in the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health Care System. Swabs were collected from high-touch surfaces (Keyboard, Ledge, Workstation on Wheels, Worksurfaces) before (Baseline) and after cleanSURFACES® were installed at 4 timepoints (Day 1, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 30). Microbial richness was significantly reduced after cleanSURFACES® intervention (Wilcoxon test with Holm correction, p=0.000179). Beta diversity results revealed distinct clustering between Baseline and Post-intervention samples (Adonis, p<0.001). Reduction in bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis) and fungal (Malassezia restricta, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Candida orthopsilosis) expression of opportunistic pathogens was observed. Additionally, a subset of taxa (Corynebacterium, Cutibacterium acnes, and Ralstonia pickettii) was present in specific Post-intervention timepoints and surface types. This study revealed decreased microbial activity, highlighting the potential for the combinatorial application of cleanSURFACES® and regular decontamination practices to reduce the prevalence of microbes causing HAIs.

Keywords: HAI; continuous cleaning; disinfection; long term care facilities; metatranscriptomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

JCS, TL, SA, JP, LP, AS, and CB were employed by Contamination Source Identification, LLC. RL and JW are owners of Contamination Source Identification, LLC. AS also serves as a consultant for AIONX®. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Alpha Diversity boxplot compares observed taxonomic richness between surface swabs collected prior to (red) and after (blue) the intervention of AIONX® cleanSURFACES®. A significant decrease in observed species richness is observed after the intervention of the AIONX® cleanSURFACES® (p=0.000179). The number of unique taxa observed in each sample is reported, along with summary statistics for each group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Beta Diversity during cleanSURFACES® Intervention. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) of binary Jaccard distances between samples (A) before (red) and after (blue) the intervention of the AIONX® cleanSURFACES®. (B) Matched principal coordinates analysis stratified by day reveals significant shifts in microbial community composition between samples when grouped by sampling day (adonis p < 0.001). (C) Boxplot comparing within-group unweighted jaccard distance dispersion before (red) and after (blue) the intervention of the AIONX® cleanSURFACES®.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Normalized counts of genera associated with Hospital Acquired Infections, during cleanSURFACES® intervention.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Normalized counts of species associated with Hospital Acquired Infections, during cleanSURFACES® intervention.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Differential Taxa (Domain, Phylum, Genus, and Species levels) identified by LEfSe Pre- vs Post-AIONX® cleanSURFACES® intervention analysis. The taxa shown were significantly (Kruskal-Wallis, p ≤ 0.05 and log (LDA)≥1.5) more active in Baseline samples. No enriched taxa were identified in the Post-AIONX® cleanSURFACES® group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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