Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to keep stethoscopes clean for dogs and cats?
By Fujita, H et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2013·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bacterial contamination of stethoscope chest pieces and the effect of daily cleaning.
Plain-English summary
This study looked at whether cleaning stethoscopes every day would help reduce the amount of bacteria on them when used on dogs and cats. Researchers tested the stethoscopes over six weeks, first checking for bacteria without cleaning and then after daily cleaning with alcohol. They found that while daily cleaning did get rid of bacteria right after cleaning, it didn’t lower the amount of bacteria present before cleaning. This means that even with daily cleaning, stethoscopes can still have bacteria on them before they are cleaned. The study suggests that it's important to clean stethoscopes after using them on pets that might be sick, especially before using them on animals with weakened immune systems.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Stethoscopes are a potential source of nosocomial infection for hospitalized humans, a phenomenon not previously studied in companion animals. OBJECTIVES: To determine if daily cleaning of stethoscope chest pieces reduces bacterial contamination between cleanings. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs and cats. METHODS: Prospective observational study. In phase 1, bacterial cultures were obtained from the chest pieces of 10 participant stethoscopes once weekly for 3 weeks. In phase 2, stethoscopes were cleaned daily and 2 culture samples were obtained once weekly, immediately before and after cleaning with 70% isopropyl alcohol, for 3 weeks. RESULTS: Daily cleaning eliminated bacteria immediately after each cleaning (P = .004), but did not reduce the rate of positive cultures obtained before cleaning in phase 2. Cultures were positive for 20/30 (67%) samples during phase 1 and 18/30 (60%) obtained before daily cleaning during phase 2. Recovered organisms included normal skin flora, agents of opportunistic infections, and potential pathogens. The only genus that was repeatedly recovered from the same stethoscope for 2 or more consecutive weeks was Bacillus sp. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Daily cleaning was highly effective at removing bacteria, but provided no reduction in precleaning contamination. Cleaning stethoscopes after use on dogs or cats infected with pathogenic bacteria and before use on immunocompromised animals should be considered.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23425122/