Table 3.

Microbiologic culture results for the patients on contact precautions and the healthcare professionals (HCP) who cared for these patients

Samples	All Positive	VRE	MRSA	MSSA
Samples from patients (n=17)
Baseline patient swabsa	13b	9c	5d	1e
Baseline room surface swabs	7f	3g	3h	3i
Surface swabs from areas where fluorescence was observed inside patient rooms	1	1j	0	0
Surface swabs from areas where fluorescence was observed outside patient rooms	1	0	0	1k
Samples from HCPs (n=54)
Pooled swab from face, hands, and wrist	8	0	0	8l
Swabs collected from surfaces touched by participating HCP after leaving patient rooms	2	1m	0	1n

Abbreviations: VRE, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus; MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; MSSA, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus; NA, not applicable; HCP, healthcare professional.

Note: MSSA is not an indication for contact precautions.

^a.Included nasal, axilla, inguinal skin, and stool or rectal swabs.

^b.For 12 patients, the identified organism matched the reason for contact precautions; two patients had swabs that were positive for both VRE and MRSA. One patient had swabs that were positive for only MSSA.

^c.Repetitive sequence-based PCR (repPCR) results were variable: samples from one patient were type B, samples from 4 patients were type C, samples from 2 patients were types B and C, samples from 1 patient were types A, B and C, and samples from 1 patient were types A, D, E, and F.

^d.Samples from 4 patients were repetitive sequence-based PCR (repPCR) type B and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV. Samples from one patient were repPCR types E and G, SCCmec type III.

^e.Samples were repPCR types C and B, SCCmec type III.

^f.For 6 patients, the identified organism matched the reason for contact precautions; one patient had baseline room surface swabs that were positive for both MRSA and MSSA and one patient had swabs that were positive for both VRE and MSSA. One patient had baseline room surface swabs that were positive for only MSSA.

^g.Baseline room surface samples from two patient rooms were all repPCR type C, samples from the third room were repPCR types D and F.

^h.Samples from 2 rooms were repPCR type B, SCCmec type IV. Samples from one room were repPCR types E and G, SCCmec type III.

^i.Samples from the first room were repPCR type B, SCCmec type III. Samples from the second room were repPCR type E, SCCmec type I. Samples from the third room repPCR types B and D, SCCmec type III.

^j.Samples were repPCR types D and E.

^k.These samples were repPCR type A, SCCmec type I.

^l.One HCP had samples that were repPCR type A, SCCmec type III; one had samples that were repPCR type B, SCCmec type III; one had samples that were repPCR type E, SCCmec type I; 3 had samples that were repPCR type F, SCCmec type III; one had samples that were repPCR types A, C, and D, SCCmec type III; and one had samples that were repPCR types E and D, SCCmec type III.

^m.Samples were repPCR type C.

^n.Two surfaces touched by the same HCP had samples that were positive for MSSA types H and A, SCCmec type III.