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Review
. 2022 Dec 17;400(10369):2250-2260.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02459-X.

Innovation for infection prevention and control-revisiting Pasteur's vision

Gabriel Birgand  1 , Raheelah Ahmad  2 , Andre N H Bulabula  3 , Sanjeev Singh  4 , Gonzalo Bearman  5 , Enrique Castro Sánchez  6 , Alison Holmes  7
Affiliations
Review

Innovation for infection prevention and control-revisiting Pasteur's vision

Gabriel Birgand et al. Lancet. .

Abstract

Louis Pasteur has long been heralded as one of the fathers of microbiology and immunology. Less known is Pasteur's vision on infection prevention and control (IPC) that drove current infection control, public health, and much of modern medicine and surgery. In this Review, we revisited Pasteur's pioneering works to assess progress and challenges in the process and technological innovation of IPC. We focused on Pasteur's far-sighted conceptualisation of the hospital as a reservoir of microorganisms and amplifier of transmission, aseptic technique in surgery, public health education, interdisciplinary working, and the protection of health services and patients. Examples from across the globe help inform future thinking for IPC innovation, adoption, scale up and sustained use.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of interest We declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Louis Pasteur's vision and legacy in infection prevention and control
Figure 2
Figure 2
Timeline of selected innovations related to Pasteur's vision
Figure 3
Figure 3
Dissemination of innovation development and implementation The data show a positive trajectory to wider clinical speciality audiences but restricted learning in management and social science outputs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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