{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,14]],"date-time":"2025-05-14T04:14:46Z","timestamp":1747196086565,"version":"3.40.5"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,23]],"date-time":"2021-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1632355200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Environmental surface sampling in healthcare settings is not routinely recommended. There are several methods for environmental surface sampling, however the yield of these methods is not well defined. The aim of the present study is to compare two methods of environmental surface sampling, to characterize the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) flora, compare it with rates of infection and colonization and correlate it with the workload.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Design and setting<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>First, the yield of the swab and the gauze-pad methods were compared. Then, longitudinal surveillance of environmental surface sampling was performed over 6 months,once weekly, from pre-specified locations in the NICU. Samples were streaked onto selective media and bacterial colonies were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The number of colonies isolated using the gauze pad method was significantly higher compared with the swab method. Overall, 87 bacterial species of 30 different bacterial genera were identified on the NICU environmental surfaces. Of these, 18% species were potential pathogens, and the other represent skin and environmental flora. In 20% of clinical cultures and in 60% of colonization cultures, the pathogen was isolated from the infant\u2019s environment as well. The number of bacteria in environmental cultures was negatively correlated with nurse\/patient ratio in the day prior to the culture.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The gauze pad method for environmental sampling is robust and readily available. The NICU flora is very diverse and is closely related with the infants\u2019 flora, therefore it may serve as a reservoir for potential pathogens.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0257821","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,23]],"date-time":"2021-09-23T18:01:50Z","timestamp":1632420110000},"page":"e0257821","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The NICU flora: An effective technique to sample surfaces"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Naomi","family":"Sultan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Irina","family":"Shchors","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marc V.","family":"Assous","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1616-2111","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Maskit","family":"Bar-Meir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,23]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2 Pt 1","key":"pone.0257821.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.110.2.285","article-title":"Late-onset sepsis in very low birth weight neonates: the experience of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network","volume":"110","author":"BJ Stoll","year":"2002","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0257821.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1053\/jhin.2000.0852","article-title":"Additional hospital stay and charges due to hospital-acquired infections in a neonatal intensive care unit","volume":"47","author":"LM Mahieu","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Hosp Infect"},{"issue":"3B","key":"pone.0257821.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"179S","DOI":"10.1016\/0002-9343(91)90366-6","article-title":"Epidemiology and control of nosocomial infections in adult intensive care units","volume":"91","author":"RA Weinstein","year":"1991","journal-title":"Am J Med"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0257821.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"687","DOI":"10.1086\/660363","article-title":"The role played by contaminated surfaces in the transmission of nosocomial pathogens","volume":"32","author":"JA Otter","year":"2011","journal-title":"Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0257821.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1086\/657944","article-title":"Contamination of hands with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus after contact with environmental surfaces and after contact with the skin of colonized patients","volume":"32","author":"U Stiefel","year":"2011","journal-title":"Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol"},{"issue":"18","key":"pone.0257821.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1945","DOI":"10.1001\/archinte.166.18.1945","article-title":"Risk of acquiring antibiotic-resistant bacteria from prior room occupants","volume":"166","author":"SS Huang","year":"2006","journal-title":"Arch Intern Med"},{"issue":"Rr-10","key":"pone.0257821.ref007","first-page":"1","article-title":"Guidelines for environmental infection control in health-care facilities. 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