A new study shows that wearing gloves and gowns in the intensive care units does not cut the risk of acquiring life-threatening infections such as MRSA and VRE.

The main causes of hospital care infections are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) affecting roughly five percent of the patients admitted to the hospitals.

Staphylococcus aureus is a group of bacteria dwelling in the surface of the skin and inside the nose. Though naturally harmless, it becomes dangerous when it enters the body through a cut or wound. It is difficult to treat as it is resistant to a number of antibiotics. vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, on the other hand, lives in the people's intestines and skin and is also resistant to most antibiotics. Both bacteria are transmitted inside the hospital through contaminated objects and mostly from the hands of the doctors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises doctors to wear gloves and gowns to prevent the spread of the two bacteria even if there were no previous evidence that it can effectively cut the chance of transmitting it to their patients.

Dr. Anthony D. Harris, lead author of the study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, and his colleagues began the study to find if such measures are effective. They involved 20 medical and surgical ICUs in a trial from January 2012 to October 2012.

The researchers collected swab from 26,180 ICU patients. They then cultured the samples to check the presence of the two bacteria.

Their findings show that though there is a reduction in the contamination, it was not statistically significant. They concluded that wearing gloves and gowns were not that effective in preventing contamination. They recommended instead intensifying the hygiene practice in the hospitals by using antibacterial soap and ointment.

The study was published in the online journal JAMA.