Dirty laundry? Evaluation of Clostridium difficile contamination in the laundry at a long-term care facility

We performed a point-prevalence culture survey of 4 patient laundry areas in a long-term care facility that cares for patients receiving post-acute care for rehabilitation or chronic care. The C difficile infection (CDI) incidence in the facility was 4 per 10,000 bed days of care.  Of 19 sites cultured in the laundry area during the point prevalence study, 1 (5%) was contaminated with C difficile and 1 (5%) was contaminated with VRE. For 2 CDI patients, 4 of 7 (57%) articles of clothing were contaminated with C difficile before washing versus 0 of 7 after washing. Nine sites inside and outside the washer and dryer were negative after washing the clothing of CDI patients.