Study of microbes hailed as a world first

DOCTORS IN the US have for the first time tracked microbes colonising a brand new hospital, revealing information that could help the fight against superbugs.

Researchers collected more than 10,000 samples from the Center for Care and Discovery in Chicago over a period of a year, starting two months before the hospital officially opened on February 23 2013.

Swabs were taken from patients’ hands, nostrils and armpits, as well as multiple surfaces including bed rails, sink taps, floors and air filters.

Samples were also gathered from nurses’ hands, gloves, shoes, pagers, phones, chairs and computers.

An immediate change was seen as soon as the first patients were admitted to the hospital.

Bacteria present during construction and pre-opening preparations, such as Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas, were quickly replaced by microbes that thrive on human skin, some of which can be harmful.

Study leader Professor Jack Gilbert, from the University of Chicago, said: “The Hospital Microbiome Project is the single biggest microbiome analysis of a hospital performed, and one of the largest microbiome studies ever.

“We’ve created a detailed map, highly relevant to clinical practice, of microbial exchange and interaction in a large hospital environment.”