Non-touch fittings in hospitals: a possible source of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella spp.

Non-touch fittings are gradually becoming very common in the bathrooms and toilets of public facilities and restaurants. Hospitals and other healthcar e facilities have recently started to install these types of,vater taps to lower water consumption, thus saving costs, and to prevent healthcare worke rs from touching the tap, thus promoting hygiene. This study analysed the b acteriological water quality of 38 non-touch water taps in different settin gs in a 450-bed secondary-care hospital in Upper Austria. Two different tap types were installed: 23 taps were without temperature selection and 15 we re with temperature selection (cold and warm). A membrane filtration method was used, and the authors screened for both indicator organisms and Pseudo monas aeruginosa in 100 ml water samples. In 10 non-touch taps without temp erature selection, the authors also screened for Legionella spp. in 500ml w ater samples. Seventy four percent of the taps without temperature selectio n and 7% of the taps with temperature selection showed contamination with P . aeruginosa (P < 0.001). None of the taps showed contamination with indica tor organisms. Detailed analysis of the source of contamination revealed th at the magnetic valve and the outlet itself were heavily contaminated, wher eas the junction from the central pipe system was free of contamination. All 10 analysed taps showed contamination with Legionella spp. It was concl uded that the local contamination of non-touch fittings is a result of the low amount of water that flows through the outlet, the low water pressure a nd the column of water, which is 'still -standing' and has a temperature of about 35 degreesC, thus providing nearly ideal growth conditions for P. ae ruginosa. Additionally, the presence of materials such as rubber, PVC, etc. in the fittings enhances the adhesion of P. aeruginosa and thus the produc tion of biofilms. In conclusion, the authors wish to encourage infection co ntrol teams to evaluate the use of non-touch fittings in hospitals, especia lly when they are installed in risk areas. (C) 2001 The Hospital Infection Society.