Ultraviolet light disinfection of hospital water for preventing nosocomial Legionella infection: a 13-year follow-up.

Background And Objective: CDC has estimated that 23% of Legionella infections are nosocomial. When a new hospital was being constructed and a substantial increase in transplantation was anticipated, an ultraviolet light apparatus was installed in the water main of the new building because 27% of water samples from taps in the old hospital contained Legionella. This study reports the rate of nosocomial Legionella infection and water contamination since opening the new hospital.

Control of endemic vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus among inpatients at a university hospital.

We sought to determine the ability of surveillance cultures and isolation of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)-colonized patients to control nosocomial VRE infection and colonization during a 5-year period (November 1994 through October 1999). During this period, VRE colonization was limited to 0.82% of admissions.

Spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among household contacts of individuals with nosocomially acquired MRSA.

Objective: To determine the frequency with which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is spread from colonized or infected patients to their household and community contacts.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: University hospital.

Cost-effectiveness of perirectal surveillance cultures for controlling vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.

Background: Several hospitals opting not to use active surveillance cultures to identify carriers of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) have reported that adoption of other parts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline for controlling VRE has had little to no impact. Because use of surveillance cultures and contact isolation controlled a large outbreak at this hospital, their costs were estimated for comparison with the excess costs of VRE bacteremias occurring at a higher rate at a hospital not employing these measures.

Setting: Two university hospitals.