SynthesisBMC infectious diseases2006
How long do nosocomial pathogens persist on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC infectious diseases, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 808 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
808 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 2,457 citations in OpenAlex.
- Global Prevalence of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis Isolated From Clinical and Environmental Sources: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.MicrobiologyOpen · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence of Clostridioides difficile contamination in healthcare and non-healthcare environments: a global systematic review and meta-analysis.International health · 2026Pooled it
- It's not just droplets: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the modes of transmission of Group AFrontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- SHEA practice update: infection prevention and control (IPC) in residential facilities for pediatric patients and their families.Infection control and hospital epidemiology · 2025Guideline
- How long do bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses retain their replication capacity on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review examining environmental resilience versus healthcare-associated infection risk by "fomite-borne risk assessment".Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Methicillin-ResistantBioMed research international · 2024Pooled it
- Hand hygiene practices for prevention of health care-associated infections associated with admitted infectious patients in the emergency department: a systematic review.Irish journal of medical science · 2023Pooled it
- The effectiveness of a school-based protocol for environmental cleaning and disinfection during a pandemic: a randomized controlled pilot study.BMC public health · 2024Trial
- Assessment of Candida attributes under in vitro repeated exposure to hydrogen peroxide.International microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology · 2026Article
- Associations between Antimicrobial-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections and Climate-Related Exposure in a Tertiary Medical Center in Central Luzon, Philippines.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Article
- Proliferation of enterococci in sargassum can contribute towards sand and water quality impairment.Environmental monitoring and assessment · 2026Article
- Article
- Effectiveness of Hydrogen Peroxide Nebulization Combined with Manual Cleaning in Reducing Surface-Associated Microorganisms in an Indoor Fitness Environment.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Assessment of the role of handwash basins in the airborne transmission of multi-drug-resistant organisms in clinical and non-clinical settings.The Journal of hospital infection · 2026Article
- Covalently Immobilized Lignin-Xanthene Conjugates for Persistent Surface Photochemistry and Self-Sterilizing Interfaces Under Ambient Visible Light.Macromolecular rapid communications · 2026Article
- Multidimensional Profiles of Microbial Contamination and Hygiene Risk Across Functional Areas in Family Hotels.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Bacterial sensitivity distributions for biocides and metals.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2026Article
- Microbial Contamination of Gym Equipment: Diversity Patterns, Temporal Dynamics, Staphylococcus Hotspots, and Device-Level Risk Indices.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Observational
- Phage cocktails for the disinfection of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae on high-touch surfaces in intensive care units.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Biosafety implications of cadaver preservation methods in veterinary anatomy education.Veterinary research communications · 2026Review
748 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInanimate surfaces have often been described as the source for outbreaks of nosocomial infections. The aim of this review is to summarize data on the persistence of different nosocomial pathogens on inanimate surfaces.
methodsThe literature was systematically reviewed in MedLine without language restrictions. In addition, cited articles in a report were assessed and standard textbooks on the topic were reviewed. All reports with experimental evidence on the duration of persistence of a nosocomial pathogen on any type of surface were included.
resultsMost gram-positive bacteria, such as Enterococcus spp. (including VRE), Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA), or Streptococcus pyogenes, survive for months on dry surfaces. Many gram-negative species, such as Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, or Shigella spp., can also survive for months. A few others, such as Bordetella pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae, Proteus vulgaris, or Vibrio cholerae, however, persist only for days. Mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and spore-forming bacteria, including Clostridium difficile, can also survive for months on surfaces. Candida albicans as the most important nosocomial fungal pathogen can survive up to 4 months on surfaces. Persistence of other yeasts, such as Torulopsis glabrata, was described to be similar (5 months) or shorter (Candida parapsilosis, 14 days). Most viruses from the respiratory tract, such as corona, coxsackie, influenza, SARS or rhino virus, can persist on surfaces for a few days. Viruses from the gastrointestinal tract, such as astrovirus, HAV, polio- or rota virus, persist for approximately 2 months. Blood-borne viruses, such as HBV or HIV, can persist for more than one week. Herpes viruses, such as CMV or HSV type 1 and 2, have been shown to persist from only a few hours up to 7 days.
conclusionThe most common nosocomial pathogens may well survive or persist on surfaces for months and can thereby be a continuous source of transmission if no regular preventive surface disinfection is performed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.