US Pharm. 2015;40(4):HS-24.
Wireless sensors recording human interactions explain the transmission of germs, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in hospitals, according to research by Thomas Obadia and colleagues. The study, published in PLoS Computational Biology, reveals that close-proximity interactions between patients and healthcare workers in Berck-sur-Mer hospital, France, acted as avenues for transmitting S aureus strains.
The i-Bird (Individual Based Investigation of Resistance Dissemination) study involved analyzing 85,025 daily interactions measured every 30 seconds between 590 participants over a 4-month period. The simultaneous measurement of contacts and microbiologic data and the long-term follow-up enabled researchers to link incident episodes with contacts.
