ArticlePloS one2023
The microbiome of an outpatient rehabilitation clinic and predictors of contamination: A pilot study.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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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
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- Assessing the risk ofFrontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Healthcare environments in pulmonary rehabilitation units: Effective -infection control through integration of long-term antimicrobial materials.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2025Article
- The Microbiome of an Outpatient Sports Medicine Clinic During a Global Pandemic: Effects of Implementation of a Microbiome-Specific Cleaning Program.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Bacterial Contamination of Environmental Surfaces of Veterinary Rehabilitation Clinics.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Biofilms, mobile genetic elements and the persistence of pathogens on environmental surfaces in healthcare and food processing environments.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUnderstanding sources of microbial contamination in outpatient rehabilitation (REHAB) clinics is important to patients and healthcare providers. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the microbiome of an outpatient REHAB clinic and examine relationships between clinic factors and contamination.
methodsForty commonly contacted surfaces in an outpatient REHAB clinic were observed for frequency of contact and swiped using environmental sample collection kits. Surfaces were categorized based on frequency of contact and cleaning and surface type. Total bacterial and fungal load was assessed using primer sets specific for the 16S rRNA and ITS genes, respectively. Bacterial samples were sequenced using the Illumina system and analyzed using Illumina-utils, Minimum Entropy Decomposition, QIIME2 (for alpha and beta diversity), LEfSe and ANCOM-BC for taxonomic differential abundance and ADONIS to test for differences in beta diversity (p<0.05).
resultsPorous surfaces had more bacterial DNA compared to non-porous surfaces (median non-porous = 0.0016ng/μL, 95%CI = 0.0077-0.00024ng/μL, N = 15; porous = 0.0084 ng/μL, 95%CI = 0.0046-0.019 ng/μL, N = 18. p = 0.0066,DNA. Samples clustered by type of surface with non-porous surfaces further differentiated by those contacted by hand versus foot. ADONIS two-way ANOVA showed that the interaction of porosity and contact frequency (but neither alone) had a significant effect on 16S communities (F = 1.7234, R2 = 0.0609, p = 0.032). DISCUSSION: Porosity of surfaces and the way they are contacted may play an underestimated, but important role in microbial contamination. Additional research involving a broader range of clinics is required to confirm results. Results suggest that surface and contact-specific cleaning and hygiene measures may be needed for optimal sanitization in outpatient REHAB clinics.
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