Effect of Handrubbing Using Locally-Manufactured Alcohol-Based Handrubs

Gudza-Mugabe, et al. (2017) assessed bacterial contamination of hands of adults present in pediatric wards in two tertiary-care hospitals in Harare, Zimbabwe and the microbiologic efficacy of locally-manufactured alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR). During unannounced visits, samples were collected using hand-print and hand-rinse methods. Samples were collected from 152 individuals (16 nurses, 10 doctors, 28 students, 86 parents/guardians, 12 others). Contamination of hands with Gram-negative bacteria was found in 91 percent of adults tested with a mean of 14.6 CFU (hand-rinse method; IQR 3–65), representing a high risk for transmission of pathogens potentially leading to nosocomial infections. A single application of ABHR under controlled conditions achieved an average of 82 percent (or 0.72 log) reduction in detectable counts. Among 49 Enterobacteriaceae isolates from hands, 53 percent were resistant to gentamicin and 63% were resistant to cefpodoxime. Use of ABHR represents an attractive intervention for reducing nosocomial infections in this setting.

Reference: Gudza-Mugabe M, et al. Effect of handrubbing using locally-manufactured alcohol-based handrubs in paediatric wards in Harare, Zimbabwe. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control. 2017;6:8