Environmental Cleaning Aids in Disease Containment

According to a recent online article by infections disease news resource Contagion^®, an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in a COVID-19 isolation ward was successfully contained through the employment of enhanced environmental cleaning and additional personal protection equipment (PPE) protocols.

The article noted CRAB’s problematic nature, due to its ability to survive for long periods of time on dry surfaces, as well as its resistance to common disinfectants. Such infections have the potential to complicate the situation for already ill patients.

In this case, which took place in South Korea during October 2021, a CRAB infection was first detected in an 85-year-old female patient who also had COVID-19. A total of 23 patients with COVID-19 and CRAB were reported during the resulting outbreak.

On October 29, actions were begun to contain the outbreak, which included environmental cleaning using sodium hypochlorite and phenolic compounds more than twice a day, performing enhanced hand hygiene, and adding gowning and gloving over the existing PPE mandatory for COVID-19. After November 2, no additional CRAB cases occurred for two weeks.

Investigators concluded that employing additional contact precautions and environmental cleaning in COVID-19 isolation wards, alongside typical COVID-19 mandates, could prevent future multidrug-resistant infections.