Emerg Infect DiseidEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control112947152631703Research Article"Cloud" health-care workers.SherertzR. J.sherertz@wfubmc.eduBassettiS.Bassetti-WyssB.Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1042, USA.Mar-Apr200172241244

Certain bacteria dispersed by health-care workers can cause hospital infections. Asymptomatic health-care workers colonized rectally, vaginally, or on the skin with group A streptococci have caused outbreaks of surgical site infection by airborne dispersal. Outbreaks have been associated with skin colonization or viral upper respiratory tract infection in a phenomenon of airborne dispersal of Staphylococcus aureus called the "cloud" phenomenon. This review summarizes the data supporting the existence of cloud health-care workers.