Again day light bath

Ερώτηση

Hi, I don’t understand whether air ventilation substitutes for day light bath and can eliminate Pseudomonas aerosols.

Απάντηση

Dear questioner,

The efficacy of air ventilation depends mainly on manufacturer and the volume of the room. Whether air ventilation helps to distribute aerosols in the air or whether it eliminates Pseudomonas aerosols, is difficult to answer without having standardized experimental results. However, we have carried out experiments in the past concerning the survival of Pseudomonas in aerosols. Pseudomonas aeruginosa survival rates depend on light conditions, humidity and the bacterial concentration [1]. My personal recommendation is therefore, to leave the bath immediately after the use of the toilet flushing or to close the toilet bowl. Concerning the use of the washbasin water tap, I recommend, not to use this as the first person in the morning since bacterial concentrations may have increased overnight. If this is not possible, one can open the tap and then leave the bath for several minutes. However, whether such precautions are indeed necessary, should be tested by identifying Pseudomonas in toilet or sink/tap water by classical culturing in your CF center. Finally, there has been no proof that Pseudomonas has been transmitted from such sources to a CF individual.

Yours sincerely,
Prof. G. Döring

Reference 1

Döring G, Ulrich M, Müller W, Bitzer J, Schmidt-Koenig L, Münst L, Grupp H, Wolz C, Stern M, Botzenhart K. Generation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa aerosols during handwashing from contaminated sink drains, transmission to hands of hospital personnel, and its prevention by use of a new heating device. Zbl Hyg 1991;191:494-505.

07.07.2008