Happy Friday,
Im looking into recreating the zone 1 testing at my facility. Currently, I believe we are over-testing zone 1 by doing 10 swabs (in rooms where there is only 1 piece of equipment with minimal zone 1 areas). Im trying to decide between lowering the number of tests to 3-4 for zone 1 or transitioning over to in-house testing with Hygiena products. Currently we are sending 3M Sponges to a lab practically on the other side of the country. For zone 1 we are paying for APC, coliform and salmonella. We have NEVER had salmonella appear in zone 1 2 3 or 4 in the past 2 years but will continue to test for it in zone 2 and 3 for industry standards. Im trying to adjust the budget so we can do more frequent testing in zones to cover more of the facility. My question is, would using a Total Viable Count Hygiena Test for zone 1 be a good replacement for the current program? Are these products reliable? My plan would be if there is any positive TVC swab in zone 1 then we immediately sanitize and intensify testing for that room (ie - Coliform and salmonella testing). What experiences to you have with Hygiena Microsnap Products (other than ATP testing). Thank you!