Transfer of microorganisms to and from textiles in healthcare settings: a systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Microbial contamination of textiles in healthcare settings is common and hypothesized to contribute to pathogen transfer. This systematic literature review aims to summarize the current evidence on microorganism transfer to and from textiles in healthcare and on factors that influence transfer.

Design

Systematic literature review.

Methods

Cochrane, Medline/Ovid, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched. Studies were included if the transfer experiment involved textiles as origin material or destination material, the transfer mechanism was described accurately, and transfer events were quantifiable. Results on transfer and factors associated with transfer were extracted.

Results

We included 21 studies with 490 transfer experiments. Considerable heterog

SUBMITTER: Gassmann N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12779459 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature