Abstract
Introduction: In the last couple of years, student research studies conducted at the University of Johannesburg’s Chiropractic Clinic showed that a variety of bacteria and fungi could be isolated from the chiropractic treatment tables, hands and white coats used in the clinic. In 2017, microorganisms isolated included Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas-, Klebsiella-, Aspergillus -, Fusarium- and Mucor species as well as Cryptococcus neoformans (Perdijk, 2017). These organisms are mostly considered opportunistic microorganisms in immunocompromised individuals but may also cause infections in healthy young and elderly individuals (Thapa et al., 2017). Studies have shown that patient files could be important vehicles for crosscontamination and infection in healthcare settings (Panhotra, Saxena and Al-Mulhim, 2005). Patient files contaminated with microorganisms may contaminate healthcare workers, who can subsequently pass the pathogens to the next attended patients...
M.Tech. (Chiropractic)