Infectious Disease Reports
Environmental Surface Contamination in Early Childhood Education Settings: Mapping Evidence on Bacterial Contamination and Antimicrobial Resistance
By Beatriz Soares dos Santos, Hérica Emília Félix de Carvalho, Odinéa Maria Amorim Batista and 7 others.
Abstract
Background
Environmental surface contamination in early childhood education settings has been recognized as a potential source of exposure to microorganisms. However, the available evidence on bacterial contamination in these environments remains limited, methodologically heterogeneous, and difficult to interpret from an epidemiological perspective.
Methods
A scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches were performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, LILACS, and gray literature sources. Studies reporting bacterial contamination of environmental surfaces and fomites in early childhood education settings were included. Data were extracted and synthesized using descriptive and thematic approaches.