Ebola virus discovered after cleaning procedures in high isolation unit

Ebola RNA was recovered from cleaned surfaces in a high isolation unit where a patient infected with the disease had been treated and discharged, researchers wrote in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. They said their findings underscore the importance of careful and extensive terminal disinfection.

“Currently, no studies have been published reporting [Ebola virus (EBOV)] transmission through the environment or through fomites, if not visibly contaminated with bodily fluids,” Vincenzo Puro, MD, of the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome, and colleagues wrote. “However, guidelines strongly support a high level of precautions in environmental cleaning.”

To assess the efficacy of cleaning procedures at their institution, Puro and colleagues collected swab samples from cleaned surfaces in a high isolation unit (HIU) where two patients with EBOV previously were hospitalized. According to the researchers, the rooms were cleaned daily during the patients’ hospitalization with wipes and mops saturated with 0.5% sodium hypochlorite. After patient discharge, all surfaces and reusable equipment were extensively scrubbed with the same solution.

The researchers collected environmental samples with nylon-flocked swabs and tested them for the presence of EBOV using quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR. Two swabs collected at the bedside and under a table in the HIU where the first patient was treated from Nov. 24, 2014 to Jan. 2, 2015 tested positive for EBOV. Both areas had been heavily contaminated with bloody vomit, but were routinely cleaned. Although genetic material was detected, there was no viable EBOV, suggesting the solution may have effectively killed the virus. Additional swabs collected after terminal cleaning and on other surfaces were negative.

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