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Volume 26, Number 8—August 2020
Research

CrAssphage as a Novel Tool to Detect Human Fecal Contamination on Environmental Surfaces and Hands

Geun Woo ParkComments to Author , Terry Fei Fan Ng, Amy L. Freeland, Vincent C. Marconi, Julie A. Boom, Mary A. Staat, Anna Maria Montmayeur, Hannah Browne, Jothikumar Narayanan, Daniel C. Payne, Cristina V. Cardemil, Aimee Treffiletti, and Jan Vinjé
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (G.W. Park, T.F.F. Ng, A.L. Freeland, J. Narayanan, D.C. Payne, C.V. Cardemil, A. Treffiletti, J. Vinjé); Atlanta Veteran Administration Medical Center, Atlanta (V.C. Marconi); Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta (V.C. Marconi); Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA (J.A. Boom); Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (M.A. Staat); Cherokee Nation Assurance, Arlington, Virginia, USA (A.M. Montmayeur); Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA (H. Browne)

Main Article

Table 4

Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of norovirus co-contamination on crAssphage positive environmental surfaces and hand rinse samples*

Setting Sample type Source (no. samples) Sensitivity, % Specificity, % PPV, % NPV, %
Cruise ship†
Swab sample
Case cabin (80) 23.4 45.5 38.0 29.4
Public area (64) 9.5 93.0 40.0 67.8
Overall (144)
19.1
72.4
38.2
50.0
LTCFs‡ Hand rinse sample Resident (15) 72.7 25.0 72.7 25.0
HCW (15) 28.6 87.5 66.7 58.3
Overall (30) 55.6 66.7 71.4 50.0

*HCW, healthcare worker; LTCF, long-term care facility; NPV, negative predictive value; PPV, positive predictive value.
†This study
‡Park et al. (26).

Main Article

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