Infection Control Today Magazine

Waterborne Pathogens

Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak Linked to Hospital's Decorative Fountain

A 2010 outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Wisconsin has been linked to a decorative fountain in a hospital lobby, according to a study published in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. When the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was detected ...More
January 9, 2012
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
CDC Releases Reports on Waterborne Disease Outbreaks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released two MMWR Surveillance Summaries: "Surveillance for Waterborne Disease Outbreaks and Other Health Events Associated with Recreational Water – United States, 2007-2008" and "Surveillance for Waterborne Disease ...More
September 22, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Few Parents Enforce Shower-Before-Pool Rules that Prevent Illness from Water Parks

Water parks offer families a chance to have fun and be physically active. That fun may come with the risk of getting sick with infections from the water, illnesses that affect over 10,000 Americans each year. One of the best ways to reduce the risk of infection is to make ...More
June 20, 2011
Posted in News
Mummies Tell the History of a 'Modern' Plague

Mummies from along the Nile are revealing how age-old irrigation techniques may have boosted the plague of schistosomiasis, a water-borne parasitic disease that infects an estimated 200 million people today. ...More
May 23, 2011
Posted in News
Hands-Free Electronic Water Faucets Found to be a Hindrance in Hospital Infection Control

A study of newly installed, hands-free faucets at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, all equipped with the latest electronic-eye sensors to automatically detect hands and dispense preset amounts of water, shows they were more likely to be contaminated with one of the most common ...More
March 31, 2011
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Contaminated Water Systems Pose Serious Threat

Water in hospitals, hotels, commercial office buildings, and long-term care facilities contain waterborne pathogens such as Legionella, Pseudomonas and antibiotic resistant bacteria. Now, guidance documents developed by the World Health Organization; the Veterans Affairs ...More
March 15, 2011
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization, Environmental Hygiene
Producing Clean Water in an Emergency

Disasters such as floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes, often result in the spread of diseases like gastroenteritis, giardiasis and even cholera because of an immediate shortage of clean drinking water. Now, chemistry researchers at McGill University have taken a key step ...More
February 24, 2011
Posted in News
Controlling and Preventing Air- and Waterborne Infections

Pathogenic microorganisms are transmitted in numerous ways in hospitals. One important consideration is the role that the environment plays in pathogen transmission, specifically leading to airborne and waterborne infections. ...More
February 22, 2011
Posted in Articles, Disinfection & Sterilization, Environmental Hygiene
Speeding Up E. coli Detection

A simple, automated method of tracking E. coli uses a laser to detect and monitor the microbe in potentially contaminated bodies of water or waterways. The technique described this month in the International Journal of Computational Biology and Drug Design could reduce the ...More
January 14, 2011
Posted in News
Army-Funded Technology Detects Bacteria in Water

To keep soldiers in the battlefield healthy, the U.S. Army is exploring new ways to detect harmful bacteria in water. Current techniques for analyzing water in the field can take as long as 24 hours to complete, according to Bart Lipkens of Western New England College in ...More
November 11, 2010
Posted in News