A new study found hospital food can carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality website.
The study, published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, was conducted from May 2011 to July 2012 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. A total of 149 patients collected 910 samples from their meals in sterile specimen cups.
Researchers also collected data from patient interviews, chart reviews and medical informatics queries, including MRSA and VRE clinical laboratory results.
The study shows one or more food specimens submitted by 17 patients were positive for MRSA; similarly one or more food specimens from 17 patients were positive for VRE.
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