The Unexpected Place Superbugs Are Spreading -- Hospital Sinks And Pipes

Drug-resistant bacteria can lurk in the pipes of hospital sinks, and a new study shows that these dangerous bacteria can also make their way out of sinks and continue on to reach patients. A number of recent reports have found that drug-resistant bacteria grow in the drainpipes of hospital sinks, according to the study, published today (Feb. 24) in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. “The wet, humid and relatively protected environment” of the drainpipes makes for an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, the researchers wrote. In addition, many reports have also found a genetic link between the pathogens in hospital drainpipes and the pathogens in patients, they wrote. In other words, the same bacteria found in the drainpipes have been found in infected patients. [6 Superbugs to Watch Out For] But it was unclear how these pipe-dwelling bacteria ended up infecting patients, considering patients don’t come into direct contact with the insides of drainpipes. To trace the path from pipe to patient, the researchers built a lab with five identical hospital sinks that were all connected via plumbing. It was “the only sink lab we are aware of in the U.S.,” senior study author Dr. Amy Mathers, an associate professor of medicine and pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in a statement. The researchers began by colonizing the elbow of the drainpipe — also called the P-trap — in one of the sinks with Esche...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news