Are toilet seats a vector for transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus?

published online 26 February 2009.

We studied the bacterial burden on toilet seats in a children's cancer hospital to validate a policy requesting that immunocompromised children use alcohol wipes on the seats prior to use of the toilets. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was recovered from 3.3% of hospital toilets when wipes were not in use. Use of wipes resulted in a 50-fold reduction in mean daily bacterial counts and eliminated MRSA.

Key Words: Infection control, Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, disinfection, toilet, nosocomial infections

a Infection Control Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

b Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

Address correspondence to Jonathan A. McCullers, MD, Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Supported by the ALSAC and NIH grant AI-66349.

Conflicts of interest: None to report.

PII: S0196-6553(09)00004-2

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2008.11.005

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