Anthrax and endoscopy: Sleeper cells or a nonissue? (People & Opinions). From: Healthcare Purchasing News | Date: April 1, 2002| Author: | COPYRIGHT 2002 Healthcare Purchasing News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

HPN: What are the chief risks associated with anthrax cross-infection following endoscopy?

Muscarella: There are several risk factors for disease transmission following endoscopy. A significant risk associated with cross-infection due to any pathogenic microorganism following an endoscopic procedure is inadequate cleaning and high-level disinfection of the endoscope. In each reported case of disease transmission via an endoscope or biopsy forceps, a critical breach in the recommended reprocessing protocol was identified. Human anthrax, however, which is caused by Bacillus ...