Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders) - Volume 13, Issue 3, 2013

Surgical wound contamination leading to surgical site infection can result from disruption of the intended airflow in the operating room (OR). When personnel enter and exit the OR, or create unnecessary movement and traffic during the procedure, the intended airflow in the vicinity of the open wound becomes disrupted and does not adequately remove airborne contaminants from the sterile field. An increase in the bacterial co Read More

Hemodialysis (HD) patients are particularly vulnerable to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and have less sustained and lower antibody response to HBV vaccination. Among blood-borne pathogens, HBV can stay alive on environmental surfaces for over a week. The incidence of HBV was extremely high among HD patients. HBV vaccination, screening of blood products and infection control measures lead to significant decrease of H Read More

Aim: The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the hand hygiene literature and to give an example of the use of this literature to create a multimodal sustainable hand hygiene program. Background: The literature describes six key ingredients to consider when designing a hand hygiene program. These ingredients include leadership engagement, environmental assessment, education, a tight feedback loop, communicati Read More

There are approximately 5,700 hospitals in the United States, 3,000-4,000 that are antiquated or obsolescing. To meet increased service demands, remain financially viable; meet needs to upgrade aging infrastructure and incorporate medical and technology advancements, healthcare facilities are in a perpetual state of construction. Outbreaks of nosocomial infections have historically been documented in association with const Read More

Eradication of Legionella species from water distribution systems especially in hospital settings has proven to be challenging. Legionella species causes Legionnaire’s disease that is a potentially fatal respiratory disease often acquired through the aerosolization of contaminated water. Monochloramine has been used successfully in the municipal water systems to eradicate Legionella and there is currently limited data t Read More

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is capable of disinfecting surfaces, water and air. The UV technology was used for many years. However, safer and more effective delivery systems of UV radiation, make it a very useful option for disinfection. Effective disinfection of environmental surfaces is a key step in the prevention of spread of infectious agents. The traditional manual cleaning is essential in assuring adequate elimination of contami Read More

The incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has almost doubled over past 2 decades. Despite decreasing overall hospital admission rates for ESRD population, the rate of infection-related hospitalizations has steadily increased. Infection remains the second most common cause of mortality in this patient population. Specifically, in the hemodialysis (HD) patients, the vascular access related infections are the most co Read More

Over the last two decades, occurrence of bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics has necessitated the development of safer and more potent anti-microbial drugs. However, the development of novel antibiotics is severely hampered by adverse side effects, such as drug-induced liver toxicity. Several antibacterial drugs are known to have the potential to cause severe liver damage. The major challenge in developi Read More