Hand sanitizer dispensers and associated hospital-acquired infections: friend or fomite?

BACKGROUND Waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizers are an increasingly popular method of hand hygiene and help prevent hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Whether hand sanitizer dispensers (HSDs) may themselves harbor pathogens or act as fomites has not been reported. METHODS All HSDs in the surgical intensive care unit of an urban teaching hospital were cultured at three sites: The dispenser lever, the rear underside, and the area surrounding the dispensing nozzle. RESULTS All HSDs yielded one or more bacterial species, including commensal skin flora and enteric gram-negative bacilli. Colonization was greatest on the lever, where there is direct hand contact. CONCLUSION Hand sanitizer dispensers can become contaminated with pathogens that cause HAI and thus are potential fomites.