Cultures were obtained from uniforms of nurses and physicians by pressing standard blood agar plates at the abdominal zone, sleeve ends, and pockets. Each participant completed a questionnaire.
A total of 238 samples were collected from 135 personnel, including 75 nurses (55 % ) and 60 physicians (45 % ). Of these, 79 (58 % ) claimed to change their uniform every day, and 104 (77 % ) defined the level of hygiene of their attire as fair to excellent. Potentially pathogenic bacteria were isolated from at least one site of the uniforms of 85 participants (63 % ) and were isolated from 119 samples (50 % ); 21 (14 % ) of the samples from nurses?gowns and 6 (6 % ) of the samples from physicians?gowns (P = NS) included of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Up to 60 % of hospital staff¡¯s uniforms are colonized with potentially pathogenic bacteria, including drug-resistant organisms. It remains to be determined whether these bacteria can be transferred to patients and cause clinically relevant infection.