Washing machines may contain drug-resistant bacteria

Researchers describe a special case in which a washing machine was involved in the spread of drug-resistant bacteria to infants at a hospital in Germany. This is probably the first reported case of hospital washing machines transmitting pathogens harmful to patients.

This case is "very unusual" for a hospital because it involves a type of household washing machine, instead of the industrial machine commonly used in health care facilities, Dr. Ricarda Schmithausen, a Senior physician at the Institute of Hygiene and Public Health at the University Hospital Bonn in Germany said.

Scientists have discovered that washing machines may contain dangerous bacteria.

This is very important for household washing machines, especially energy-efficient washing machines that use lower water temperatures, which are less likely to kill germs.

However, experts say that a normal person doesn't need to be so worried about their washing machine containing bacteria.

Washing machines are designed to remove dirt and odors, but "they are not designed to make your clothes sterile," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University said.

In the current case, described in the journal Environmental and Applied Microbiology, doctors at hospitals in Germany found that babies in their facility continued to test positive for a strain. especially resistant bacteria are Klebsiella oxytoca . This bacterium is known to cause serious infections in health care facilities, such as in nursing homes and intensive care units.

Babies do not really get sick from K. oxytoca - bacteria found on their skin do not cause infection. But its presence is still relevant, as it can cause conditions such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections and wound infections, especially in people with weak immune systems.

Household washing machines are usually not allowed to wash patients' clothes at the hospital. But in this case, the washing machine in question was placed outside the hospital's laundry facility and it was only used for washing mothers' clothes, hats and socks for babies, the authors said. .

In addition, the authors say, with home washing machines, people may need to take some precautions when washing clothes for certain vulnerable groups, such as those who are difficult to care for. Nurses, people with compromised immune systems, and people with infected wounds are draining pus. In these cases, the authors recommend washing clothes "at a higher temperature or with an effective disinfectant" to avoid pathogens transmission , senior research author Dr Martin Exner, head of the Institute of Defense and Public Health at Bonn University Hospital, said.

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