Contact Precautions for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Rationale for Isolation

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases provides a conditional recommendation with moderate evidence to implement contact precautions for all patients colonized or infected with S. maltophilia in all hospital settings 1, 2, 3

Healthcare workers should wear gloves and gowns before entering the patient's room for all patient encounters, as recommended by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 1, 2, 3
Healthcare workers should remove protective equipment promptly after care and before leaving the room, and perform hand hygiene immediately after removing gloves and gown 1, 2, 3
The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases recommends dedicating non-critical patient-care equipment to single patients or cohorts with S. maltophilia 1, 3
Enhanced environmental cleaning with monitoring of cleaning performance and feedback is recommended by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 1, 3, 4

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases notes that there is no evidence available to provide recommendations for or against single-room isolation specifically for S. maltophilia, but contact precautions with gowns and gloves are still required regardless of room type 1, 2, 3, 6
There is no evidence available to guide when to discontinue contact precautions for S. maltophilia, according to the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 1, 2, 3

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases recommends not relying solely on hand hygiene, but rather combining gloves, gowns, and hand hygiene to prevent transmission of S. maltophilia 1, 2, 3
The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases emphasizes the importance of not neglecting environmental cleaning, as S. maltophilia persists on surfaces and requires meticulous cleaning protocols 1, 3, 4
The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases advises against sharing equipment between S. maltophilia patients and other patients without proper disinfection 1, 3