Leptospirosis is a serious but neglected emerging disease that infects humans through contaminated water. Research published in the May 2008 issue of the journal Microbiology showed for the first time how bacteria that cause the disease survive in the environment. Leptospirosis is a major public …
Doctors are running out of treatments for today’s trauma victims and critically ill patients because of infections due to drug resistant microbes – even after resorting to using medicines thrown out 20 years ago because of severe side effects, scientists reported at the Society for …
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) released (June 2007) initial results from a nationwide study of 1,237 U.S. healthcare facilities, examining the prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a virulent multi-drug resistant organism. Findings demonstrate MRSA prevalence rates to be at …
The life-threatening bacterium that causes diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions, Clostridium difficile, is sickening many more patients than previously estimated, according to a new study released on November 11, 2008 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). “The National …
ATP is the primary energy transfer molecule present in all living biological cells on Earth. ATP cannot be produced or maintained by anything but a living organism, and as such, its measurement is a direct indication of biological activity. For hygiene testing the total ATP …
In healthcare environments, ATP is good in that it’s quick but bad in that it’s not a great indicator of microbial risk (counts both live and dead bacteria, doesn’t differentiate pathogens from non-pathogens). Counting of bacterial colony forming units (CFUs) is good in that it’s …
Chemicals used in the environment to kill bacteria could be making them stronger, according to a paper published in the October issue of the journal Microbiology. Low levels of these chemicals, called biocides, can make the potentially lethal bacterium Staphylococcus aureus remove toxic chemicals from …
Infrared cameras are sometimes called IR or thermal imaging cameras. Prices have dropped considerably in recent months, putting thermal imaging technology within the financial reach of many more cleaning operations. Because of its advantages, eventually, most everyone in the cleaning and restoration business will …
The following IAQ glossary is adapted from the EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Building Education and Assessment Model or I-BEAM. I-BEAM is a tool designed for use by building professionals and others interested in indoor air quality in commercial buildings. I-BEAM is a comprehensive (and …
From time to time, we are asked about the real cleanliness of restrooms. Even if they look “clean” are they really clean? There is, after all, a health issue beyond appearances. To explore this issue we implemented a performance measurement system over a 60 …