What should be considered when culturing?
Always clean and disinfect just prior to culturing. Why? Surfaces become contaminated with airborne bacteria soon after cleaning and disinfection. Culturing just after the 10 minute disinfection contact time will give the best indication of the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfection process/method. Do not rinse the tub with clear water prior to culturing. Why? The culture can be no better than the microbial quality of the water used to rinse. It is not uncommon for source water to have bacteria counts measurable in swab rinse or pressure contact culture methods. Again, culturing just after cleaning and disinfection will give the best indication of the cleaning and disinfection process/method. Consider culturing the tub water instead of tub surfaces Why? The tub filled with clean water is what the patient actually comes in contact with. A small sampling from the tub after filling and recirculation can be compared with a sample of the raw water to see if there is a significant di
