Bacterial resistance to antibiotics poses a serious challenge to infection control and hospital air is helping to spread the bacteria, according to an article on the Becker's Hospital Review website.
A study in the American Journal of Infection Control reports that hospital air can help spread bacteria.
Authors of the study investigated the presence of beta-lactam–resistant bacteria in hospital air by collecting 64 air samples in four hospital wards.
"The results revealed that hospital air is a potential route of transmission of [beta-lactam–resistant bacteria], such as Acinetobacter and Staphylococcus," the study reported.