Evaluation of adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence-based system in rooms occupied by patients with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based monitoring systems can detect the amount of organic matter that remains on hospital surfaces after cleaning. We evaluated an ATP-based monitoring system in assessing contamination of high touched objects in rooms occupied by patients on methicillin resistant S. aureus precautions.

Methods: We compared the ATP to standard aerobic cultures as well as to gloved hand culture to predict risk of healthcare-worker hand contamination.

Results: More than a third of high touch object surfaces were measured unclean with ATP yet only reflects about 5% chance of contaminating healthcare-workers' hands.

Conclusions: Our study emphasizes the shortcomings of using the ATP system even in pathogen specific environment such as surfaces in methicillin resistant S. aureus rooms.