A Simple Microbiological Tool to Evaluate the Effect of Environmental Health Interventions on Hand Contamination

This journal paper by Devamani et al. (2014), published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health summarises a study that explored the ability of a simple microbiological test – placing fingertips on a chromogenic agar that stains Enterococcus spp. and E. coli spp – to: detect recontamination after handwashing, reflect risk factors for microbial contamination, and be applicable to large populations. The study found that the test is unsuitable for evaluating handwashing promotion interventions in highly contaminated environments. This is due to quick recontamination rates in such settings and the test reflecting risk practices preceding taking of the sample.