Differential environmental contamination with Acinetobacter baumannii based on the anatomic source of colonization

Background Acinetobacter baumannii is a pathogen of importance worldwide. Methods From January 2011 until January 2012, environmental and surveillance cultures were collected from patients admitted to our intensive care units (ICUs). Surveillance cultures were obtained on admission to the ICU and weekly thereafter. Environmental cultures of high-touch surfaces were performed on an alternating basis every week. A room was designated as contaminated if at least 1 object was positive for carbapenem-resistant A baumannii. We only evaluated the rooms belonging to patients who tested positive for Acinetobacter infection. Results Five hundred eighty-six rooms were cultured across the 5 ICUs surveyed, of which 134 (22.9%) had patients who tested positive for infection with Acinetobacter. Among patients colonized in the rectum, the odds of having bed rails contaminated with A baumannii were 2.55 times the odds of those with only respiratory colonization (P =.03). The odds of having intravenous pumps contaminated with A baumannii among patients with only respiratory colonization were 2.72 times the odds of contamination among patients colonized in the rectum (P =.03). Conclusions There was a significant difference in the degree of contamination of bedrails and intravenous pumps based on the occupant's anatomic source of A baumannii infection.