{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T03:34:20Z","timestamp":1793072060574,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779926400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779926400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/tdm\/tdmrep-policy.json"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0899823X26104681_as1\">\n                    <jats:title>Objective:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Environmental contamination is a significant factor in the transmission of healthcare-associated infections. This study evaluated the effectiveness of gaseous ozone in reducing microbial contamination within hospital settings, focusing on both air and surfaces.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0899823X26104681_as2\">\n                    <jats:title>Design:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional study conducted in a single healthcare facility.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0899823X26104681_as3\">\n                    <jats:title>Setting:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Two experimental protocols were implemented using the Sany-Plus ozonator: a three-timepoint protocol (3T), which included routine cleaning followed by ozone disinfection, and a two-timepoint protocol (2T), where ozone treatment occurred after patient activity without intermediate cleaning. We conducted active air and surface samplings using RODAC plates. Microbial loads were quantified in terms of colony-forming units (CFU) for both bacteria and molds\/yeasts. Data analysis was performed using the Friedman and Wilcoxon tests, applying Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0899823X26104681_as4\">\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In the 3T protocol, bacterial and fungal contamination on surfaces significantly decreased between patient activity and postcleaning, with\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      -values of .0024 and .0060, respectively. However, no further reduction was observed after ozone disinfection. Airborne microbial loads did not show any statistically significant changes. In the 2T protocol, there was no significant overall decrease in bacterial contamination (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      = .0766), although fungal contamination did experience a significant reduction (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      = .0058). No changes in air contamination were detected.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0899823X26104681_as5\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings suggest that routine cleaning is the primary determinant of surface decontamination, while ozone treatment may provide a limited complementary antifungal effect. No significant impact on airborne microorganisms was noted. Therefore, ozone should be regarded as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, conventional cleaning and disinfection in healthcare environments.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2026.10468","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T07:14:37Z","timestamp":1779952477000},"page":"798-804","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effectiveness of gaseous ozone in reducing microbial contamination: evaluation of environmental disinfection in healthcare settings"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"47","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0465-3784","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Riccardo","family":"Mastrantonio","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01j9p1r26","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Universita degli Studi dell\u2019Aquila"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7396-1173","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessia","family":"Romantini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01j9p1r26","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Universita degli Studi dell\u2019Aquila"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-4845-9273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Camilla","family":"Lombardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01j9p1r26","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Universita degli Studi dell\u2019Aquila"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Angela","family":"Civisca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01j9p1r26","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Universita degli Studi dell\u2019Aquila"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5816-2393","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mario","family":"Muselli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01j9p1r26","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Universita degli Studi dell\u2019Aquila"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annalucia","family":"Moretti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"San Salvatore Hospital: Ospedale Civile San Salvatore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanna","family":"Micolucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"San Salvatore Hospital: Ospedale Civile San Salvatore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0597-1450","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Leila","family":"Fabiani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01j9p1r26","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Universita degli Studi dell\u2019Aquila"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina56110578"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10096-011-1250-x"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/foods12040814"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref23","first-page":"E48","article-title":"Water and air ozone treatment as an alternative sanitizing technology","volume":"58","author":"Martinelli","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Prev Med Hyg"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.iecr.2c03754"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhin.2023.06.029"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11356-017-9239-3"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref17","unstructured":"17. British Standards Institution. BS EN 17141:2020. Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments\u2014Biocontamination control. Annex E: Guidance on culture based microbiological measurement methods and sampler verification. London: BSI; 2020."},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envint.2024.109052"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref19","unstructured":"19. BS ISO 21527-2:2008. Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs \u2014 Horizontal method for the enumeration of yeasts and moulds- Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0,95."},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms24108465"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref20","volume-title":"Stata Statistical Software: Release 18","author":"StataCorp","year":"2023"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11356-024-35835-w"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref24","first-page":"92","article-title":"Investigating the effectiveness of ozone based air purification system for indoor microbial control","volume":"5","author":"Bhushan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int J Eng Manag Humanit"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cej.2022.140188"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref1","unstructured":"1. World Health Organization. WHO hand hygiene key facts and figures. 2023, https:\/\/www.who.int\/campaigns\/world-hand-hygiene-day\/2023\/key-factsand-figures. Accessed September 2, 2025"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.70359\/bhc2001v026p040"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules27133998"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/fsn3.1618"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/su10124783"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2022.128251"},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref18","unstructured":"18. British Standards Institution. BS EN ISO 4833-2:2013+A1:2022. Microbiology of the food chain\u2014Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms\u2014Part 2: Colony count at 30 \u00b0C by the surface plating technique. London: BSI; 2022."},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref2","unstructured":"2. Associazione Nazionale Medici delle Direzioni Ospedaliere (ANMDO). Linea guida sulla valutazione del processo di sanificazione ambientale nelle strutture ospedaliere e territoriali per il controllo delle infezioni correlate all\u2019assistenza (ICA), 2019."},{"key":"S0899823X26104681_ref21","first-page":"1016","article-title":"Hygiene practices against dermatophytic fungi: a review of strategies to combat antifungal resistance","volume":"14","author":"Gupta","year":"2025","journal-title":"Biology (Basel)"}],"container-title":["Infection Control &amp; Hospital Epidemiology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/S0899823X26104681","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/S0899823X26104681","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T03:14:21Z","timestamp":1793070861000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/product\/identifier\/S0899823X26104681\/type\/journal_article"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["S0899823X26104681"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/ice.2026.10468","relation":{},"ISSN":["0899-823X","1559-6834"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0899-823X","type":"print"},{"value":"1559-6834","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]]},"assertion":[{"value":"\u00a9 The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America","name":"copyright","label":"Copyright","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.","name":"license","label":"License","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This content has been made available to all.","name":"free","label":"Free to read"}]}}