Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32938493›Full record

ArticleAntimicrobial resistance and infection control2020

Silica nanoparticles with encapsulated DNA (SPED) - a novel surrogate tracer for microbial transmission in healthcare.

Manuela Scotoni, Julian Koch, Timothy R Julian, Lauren Clack, Ana K Pitol, Aline Wolfensberger, Robert N Grass, Hugo Sax

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Article in Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Manuela ScotoniDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, HAL14, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
Julian KochDepartment of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Timothy R JulianDepartment of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Duebendorf, Switzerland.
Lauren ClackDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, HAL14, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
Ana K PitolDepartment of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Duebendorf, Switzerland.
Aline WolfensbergerDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, HAL14, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
Robert N GrassDepartment of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Hugo SaxDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, HAL14, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. hugo.sax@usz.ch.ORCID 0000-0002-1532-2198

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe increase in antimicrobial resistance is of worldwide concern. Surrogate tracers attempt to simulate microbial transmission by avoiding the infectious risks associated with live organisms. We evaluated silica nanoparticles with encapsulated DNA (SPED) as a new promising surrogate tracer in healthcare.

methodsSPED and Escherichia coli were used to implement three experiments in simulation rooms and a microbiology laboratory in 2017-2018. Experiment 1 investigated the transmission behaviour of SPED in a predefined simulated patient-care scenario. SPED marked with 3 different DNA sequences (SPED1-SPED3) were introduced at 3 different points of the consecutive 13 touch sites of a patient-care scenario that was repeated 3 times, resulting in a total of 288 values. Experiment 2 evaluated SPED behaviour following hand cleaning with water and soap and alcohol-based handrub. Experiment 3 compared transfer dynamics of SPED versus E. coli in a laboratory using a gloved finger touching two consecutive sites on a laminate surface after a first purposefully contaminated site.

resultsExperiment 1: SPED adhesiveness on bare skin after a hand-to-surface exposure was high, leading to a dissemination of SPED1-3 on all consecutive surface materials with a trend of decreasing recovery rates, also reflecting touching patterns in concordance with contaminated fingers versus palms. Experiment 2: Hand washing with soap and water resulted in a SPED reduction of 96%, whereas hand disinfection led to dispersal of SPED from the palm to the back of the hand. Experiment 3: SPED and E. coli concentration decreased in parallel with each transmission step - with SPED showing a trend for less reduction and variability.

conclusionsSPED represent a convenient and safe instrument to simulate pathogen spread by contact transmission simultaneously from an infinite number of sites. They can be further developed as a central asset for successful infection prevention in healthcare.

Indexed as

Computer SimulationCross InfectionDNADrug Resistance, MicrobialEnvironmental MicrobiologyEquipment ContaminationEscherichia coliHand DisinfectionHumansNanoparticlesSilicon DioxideDNASilicon DioxideBacterial transmissionCross-contaminationCross-infectionDNAHealthcare-acquired infectionInfection controlInfection preventionNanoparticlesTracersTransmission

Identifiers

PMID32938493
PMCPMC7493369

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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.