Deadly Hospital Superbug Source ID'd - Doctor's nametags

The New Zealand Herald has this fascinating story:

Deadly superbug bacteria are being carried on doctors' name tags and straps slung around their necks, potentially infecting sick and vulnerable patients.

Australian research has revealed for the first time that ID badges and their holders, known as lanyards, can harbour dangerous antibiotic-resistant bugs that increasingly wreak havoc in hospitals across the Tasman.

New Zealand specialist, Auckland Hospital's clinical head of microbiology Dr Sally Roberts, said doctors here wore name badges in a similar fashion - and it was likely many of their lanyards could also be contaminated with germs.

"It's the same as pens, computer keyboards, men wearing ties, women wearing false fingernails and rings - there are many different pieces of adornment that we wear that are potentially colonised with germs," said Dr Roberts.

"Whether there's an actual link between them being colonised and spreading it to patients is unclear."

The best known superbug, called MRSA or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, was much more prevalent in Australian hospitals than in New Zealand hospitals, said Dr Roberts.

MRSA infects 2000 Australian hospital patients each year, killing 35 per cent of them.

Previous studies have found the bug present on doctors' coats, stethoscopes and pens, and now Melbourne researchers have recorded high rates on name tags and lanyards.

An analysis of 71 workers at Monash Medical Centre showed 27 lanyards and 18 badges carried pathogenic bacteria, according to research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

"Lanyards and identity badges are worn by both male and female clinical staff for long periods of time without cleaning," said co-author Dr Rhonda Stuart, an infectious diseases physician at the centre....