Bioluminescence ATP monitoring as a surrogate marker for microbial load on hands and surfaces in the home.

The kitchen table surface in 225 US homes was sampled by microbiologic culture and by two biomass-monitoring systems. Hands of homemakers were also cultured and sampled with the ATP monitoring system immediately after handwashing. Log microbial counts on hands ranged from 3.2-7.0 and from, 1.0-5.5 on the table. There was no significant correlation between the ATP monitor readings and the cfu counts on either the hands or the table. The authors conclude that such biomass measurements are not a substitute for quantitation of microbial load. Food Microbiol 2003;20:735-739.