"Cloud" health-care workers

Emerg Infect Dis. 2001 Mar-Apr;7(2):241-4. doi: 10.3201/eid0702.010218.

Abstract

Certain bacteria dispersed by health-care workers can cause hospital infections. Asymptomatic health-care workers colonized rectally, vaginally, or on the skin with group A streptococci have caused outbreaks of surgical site infection by airborne dispersal. Outbreaks have been associated with skin colonization or viral upper respiratory tract infection in a phenomenon of airborne dispersal of Staphylococcus aureus called the "cloud" phenomenon. This review summarizes the data supporting the existence of cloud health-care workers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bordetella pertussis
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Health Personnel
  • Humans
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient*
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / transmission*
  • Streptococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Streptococcal Infections / transmission*
  • Streptococcus pyogenes*
  • United States / epidemiology
  • Whooping Cough / epidemiology
  • Whooping Cough / transmission*