WATER HYGIENE & SAFETY


Effective treatment options for a safe, hygienic supply


Michelle Roe, Technical Healthcare specialist at water solution provider, Whitewater, discusses the impact that water quality has on hospital-acquired infections, and some of the key water treatment methods available to combat the growth and proliferation of harmful waterborne microorganisms.


Microbes are classified into distinct groups depending on their characteristics, but there are four main groups that have the most potential to cause harm to the human body, if conditions are optimal. These are bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa.1


These groups can also be


known as opportunistic pathogens, as they have the ability to integrate themselves into a host, i.e. they can invade a human body and cause an infection. Bacteria are among the most rapid organisms to replicate; they can do so every 4 to 20 minutes.2


If the bacterium


is pathogenic, this can lead to a rapid deterioration in the patient over a short period; hence the importance of a rapid diagnosis. Viruses, on the other hand, are


extremely clever organisms that can manipulate the host’s immune system in many ways. For example, they can alter their genetic make-up to mimic the host’s genes. This effectively ‘tricks’ a human’s immune system not to respond, so the virus has sufficient time to replicate, and cause not only a localised infection, but one that spreads throughout the body (see Figure 1).3


Not all microorganisms


(microbes), of course, cause infections; some are critical for human survival.


Host cell Attachment


Release


Penetration


Assembly


Biosynthesis Figure 1: How a virus replicates once inside its host, e.g. the human body.3


Different transmission pathways Transmission of pathogenic microorganisms can be through contact, air, food, and water. Over the years, healthcare facilities have put in place policies and procedures to try reduce the amount of hospital-acquired infections (HCAIs). Despite the daily efforts of healthcare personnel, 1 in 31 patients acquire an infection, if not multiple infections, on a daily basis.4 The most common HCAI is pneumonia, which can be caused by a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Figure 2).5 Water is a naturally


occurring substance that is considered to be one of the most complex molecules known, but what makes it so complex? Water particles are composed


Figure 2: Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown on PSCN agar.


of many different compounds – physical, chemical, and microbiological. It is when the composition of each water molecule changes that the water may become contaminated with pollutants, and thus unfit for purpose. In the healthcare sector, the utility of water plays a major role not only in patient diagnostics, but also in patient care. Waterborne infection is a major risk


associated with contaminated water, so much so that 80% of infections are caused by water.6


Out of this percentage,


it is estimated that 64% of infections are healthcare-associated.7


Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a most opportunistic pathogen – a Gram- negative, rod bacterium that causes infections in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent humans.8


This


bacterium is typically found in the environment, and in particular in the soil and freshwater. It is this bacterium’s love for aquatic environments that results in it being present in sinks, showers, swimming pools, hospital reservoirs, ice machines, disinfecting solutions, endoscopes, catheters, and surgical instruments.8


October 2022 Health Estate Journal 119


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124