All of the costs associated with decontamination following the 2001 anthrax letter attacks were summarized, estimated, and aggregated based on existing literature and news media reports. A comprehensive list of all affected structures was compiled. Costs were analyzed by building class and decontamination type. Sampling costs and costs of worker relocation were also included. Our analysis indic...

Prion diseases constitute a unique infection control problem because prions exhibit unusual resistance to conventional chemical and physical decontamination methods. Recommendations to prevent cross-transmission of infection from medical devices contaminated by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have been based primarily on prion inactivation studies. The recommendations in this article consider i...

Shoe soles are possible vectors for infectious diseases. Although studies have been performed to assess the prevalence of infectious pathogens on shoe soles and decontamination techniques, no systematic review has ever occurred. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature to determine the prevalence of infectious agents on shoe bottoms and possible decontamination...

OBJECTIVE We examined the impact of selective decontamination of the digestive tract on morbidity and mortality in critically ill children. DATA SOURCES We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, and previous meta-analyses. STUDY SELECTION We included all randomized controlled trials comparing administration of enteral antimicrobials in selective decontaminatio...