Physicians’ Neckties May Harbor Bacteria

A change in fashion by physicians may decrease the spread of infections, according to a presentation at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

A change in fashion by physicians may decrease the spread of infections, according to a presentation at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. That’s because neckties worn by doctors were eight times more likely to harbor pathogens than were those of hospital workers not normally in contact with patients, according to the results of a new study. While working at New York Hospital in Queens, lead author Steven Nurkin, a medical student at the American-Technion Program at the Bruce Rappaport Facility of Medicine in Haifa, Israel, noticed that physicians’ neckties often come into contact with patients or their bedding. After examining a patient or conducting procedure, he told Reuters Health, “they would wash their hands, and then adjust their tie,” perhaps recontaminating their hands. So he and his colleagues swabbed 42 neckties worn by physicians who regularly saw patients and 10 neckties worn by security personnel. They then dabbed the swabs onto laboratory plates and identified the microorganisms that grew. Twenty of the clinicians’ neckties carried pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Aspergillus. In contrast, the tie of only one security guard carried a single pathogen, S. aureus. Nurkin pointed out that neckties are encouraged because they are believed to project an aura of professionalism and increase patients’ confidence, but they may not be cleaned as often as other articles of clothing. Options to reduce the risk of disease transmission, he suggested, include switching to bow-ties or using tie tacks that hold ties to physicians’ shirts. Doctors could also decontaminate ties with a “high quality detergent spray that wouldn’t ruin the tie” or even use a “necktie condom.” Another option would be to abandon neckties altogether. Nurkin’s group is considering further studies with larger sample sizes to confirm their findings. The ASM conference is being held this week in New Orleans. (Source: Reuters Health, May 2004)