A recent study has shown washing contaminated hospital bedsheets in a commercial washing machine with industrial detergent at high disinfecting temperatures failed to remove all traces of Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.
Both the simulated and the commercial laundering via a washer extractor process failed to meet microbiological standards of containing no disease-causing bacteria, the study found.
The findings suggest that linens could be a source of infection among patients, according to the study, which was published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
There also may be potential to spread C. diff. to other hospital that share laundry services.
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