Table 1.
Relative abundances of potential pathogens detected during weekly collection visits on dominant hands of surgical intensive care unit healthcare workers participating in the Healthy Hands Study, July 2011 (N = 34).
| Pathogen (targeted gene) | Collection Visit | Ɏ * Mean copies/uL | * Positive (%, n = 34) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staphylococcus aureus (nuc) | 1 | 951.3 | 41.2 |
| 2 | 6,623.1 | 41.2 | |
| 3 | 351.4 | 52.9 | |
| Enterococcus spp. (16S) | 1 | 1,702.9 | 52.9 |
| 2 | 2,877.1 | 70.6 | |
| 3 | 1,823.6 | 61.8 | |
| Candida albicans (18S) | 1 | 663.8 | 8.8 |
| 2 | 336.3 | 5.9 | |
| 3 | 142.7 | 2.9 | |
| MRSA (mecA|orfX) | 1 | 173.5 | 2.9 |
| 2 | 1,405.8 | 5.9 | |
| 3 | 3,763.5 | 2.9 |
Ɏ nuc (~1 copy/cell); Enterococcus (~5 16S rRNA copies/cell); C. albicans (~100 copies/cell).
* qPCR cut-off of 100 copies/ul defined as qPCR limit of detection used to identify a HCW as positive.