Disinfectant footmats and footbaths may be helpful, but are not absolute methods, for eliminating contamination on footwear in veterinary hospital environments. While disinfectant footmats may be considered reliable in decreasing footwear contamination, the magnitude of these decreases is limited. Disinfectant efficacy would likely be improved by the removal of organic debris before disinfection or increasing contact time, however, the study was designed to emulate common practice in livestock hospitals where footmats are utilized to decrease trafficking of microorganisms on footwear as personnel move throughout the facility.
