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Jan 9, 2024

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BIOS242 Lab 8 Name: Susy Rodriguez Lab 8: Fomite Transmission Learning Objectives:  Define fomite and how bacteria are transferred via fomites.  Explain the role of fomite transmission in the hospital.  Define nosocomial infections, HAIs (hospital acquired infections), and Iatrogenic infections. Introduction: Fomites are inanimate objects or materials that may contain and harbor bacteria, fungi, or viruses. There are many microorganisms in the environment that may or may not be pathogenic. Microorganisms become pathogenic when they enter areas of the body where that microorganism doesn’t normally reside (not part of the normal microbiota). In microbiology, the transfer of pathogenic organisms from one host to another through an inanimate object is known as indirect contact transmission. As a healthcare professional, you will come in contact with many inanimate objects and it will be important to remember that these objects could compromise the health of your patients. You will need to be aware of your surroundings and be aware of how you can transfer harmful pathogens to your patients. For example, setting a patient’s chart down on their bed could result in a nosocomial (hospital acquired) infection for your patient. That chart has been touched by many people who could be spreading microorganisms. To help you understand the plethora of microorganisms found in the environment, we will examine a number of fomites found in the laboratory, school, and your home. Note: Do not do skin swabs or swab of any internal surfaces such as mouth, or throat. Only the inanimate objects should be used for this experiment. Use personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times and do not leave the lab area to swab plates. Materials: Agar plate, Marker, ruler, sterile swabs Method: 1. Obtain one nutrient agar and divide the back of the plate into 8 sections using ruler and marker. Label each section 1-8. 2. Using a new sterile swab, swab 8 different inanimate objects found in the lab area and streak the agar plates. 3. Record the name of the swabbed objects in the lab report. 4. Incubate the agar plates at 37 ◦ C for 24-48 hours. 5. Seal the plates with parafilm and do not open the plates. 6. Make observations using sealed plates only . 7. Use lab safety protocol at all times while observing each sections for growth on the scale of 0-5. If there is no growth, report it as zero. Report excessive growth as 5. 8. On the lab report, describe observations regarding appearance, color, shape and size of the colonies. 1

BIOS242 Lab 8 Name: Susy Rodriguez 9. Once observation is completed, immediately put the plates in appropriate waste container (biohazard bag) for autoclaving. Lab Report: Purpose: To compare growth in 8 different inanimate objects. For the lab task, we are monitoring the formation of fomites in inanimate objects that might be home to various microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, and other microbes. To begin, we took a nutritional agar plate and divided it into four sections, making a total of eight portions on each plate. For each part, we tested various objects with a swab. For 24 to 48 hours, the nutritional agar plate was maintained at 37 degrees Celsius. We use a scale of 0 to 5 to report the growth. Results: Most growth was found in the drain. Growth Scale: 0= No Growth; 5= Maximum Growth Number Inanimate object Growth Description of growth 1 Keyboard 1 Minimal Growth 2 Bench 2 A few growths that vary in size 3 Doorknob 2 3-4 Growths that vary in size 4 Drain 5 Multiple growths throughout the culture 5 Goggle 0 No growth 6 Keyboard 3 Multiple Small growths 7 Trash Can 1 Large singular growths 8 Elevator 5 Multiple small dots Questions: 1. Differentiate between nosocomial, HAI, and iatrogenic infections. Nosocomial infections are infections acquired in hospitals or other healthcare facilities. Healthcare personnel and patients are equally susceptible to contracting these infections through unintentional or intentional contact in hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. Healthcare Associated Infections (HAT) are infections that are contracted elsewhere in a healthcare facility, such as outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, and places where bacteria or viruses are present. Patients and healthcare workers may be harmed by fungi (a range of pathogens). Iatrogenic infections These are infections contracted during medical procedures and treatments. procedures involving hand washing as well as medical interventions such surgery, diagnostics, and equipment 2. Describe three ways a nurse could transfer microorganisms to their patients. 2

BIOS242 Lab 8 Name: Susy Rodriguez There are four main ways that microorganisms might spread among patients and healthcare professionals: direct and indirect contact, respiratory droplets, airborne dissemination, and shared facilities and equipment. both direct and indirect communication. Germs can spread from one person to another when people kiss, hug, or shake hands. Indirect contact is another way that germs can spread. An example of this would be if someone touched a contaminated doorknob and then touched their mouth, nose, or eyes. respiratory droplets. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, contagious droplets are discharged into the atmosphere, which can lead to illnesses from indirect contact. If healthy people breathe in contaminated droplets or if contaminated droplets go in their mouth, nose, or eyes, they run the risk of being sick. shared facilities and equipment. A patient can be directly exposed to a significant number of germs by an infectious healthcare provider. 3. Differentiate between contact, vehicle, and vector transmission. Vehicle Transmission: When an inanimate object, like as food that was served or medication that was given to the patient, is used as a common source of illness, everyone who is exposed to it becomes infected. Contact transmission is the spread of an infection through direct touch (holding), vehicle transmission occurs when multiple people are exposed to a common source of infection (an inanimate object), and vector transmission is the spread of an infection from one living thing to another. 4. Was there equal amount of growth on all sections? Would all microorganisms on a fomite be able to grow on nutrient agar? Why or why not? Not all of the portions had an abundance of growth, but some did. Every bacterium is different; whether or not they can thrive on nutrient agar depends on the circumstances. Some do not do well at room temperature, so it may take up to 48 hours. A few more factors to think about include the temperature, pH, and demand for oxygen. 3

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