Abstract: OBJECTIVE To investigate microbial contamination of ultrasound apparatus, so that to evaluate existing strategies for prevention and control of nosocomial infection associated with ultrasound scan. METHODS Samples were collected from probes, peripheral attachments and coupling agents of ultrasound apparatus in a large tertiary first-class hospital in Hubei Province. Bacteria were counted and identified after culture to evaluate current control strategies. RESULTS A total of 1 740 samples were collected from 182 ultrasound probes, 157 peripheral attachments and 72 coupling agents in four departments. The overall qualified rate was 97.2%. The department with the lowest qualified rate is the medical ultrasound imaging department (95.4%) and there was no significant among different departments. The probe with the lowest qualified rate was the abdominal probe (96.6%). There was no significant differences in the qualified rate between low-risk (97.4%) and moderate-risk probes (100.0%). The qualified rate of peripheral attachments was 94.9%; the qualified rate of coupling agents was 100.0%, and there was no significant differences among samples from different locations. A total of 46 strains of bacteria from 16 species were identified, conventional pathogenic bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumanni (CRAB) and carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKPN) were isolated. CONCLUSION The current situation of microbial contamination of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus meets the requirements of hospital infection prevention and control, and the current relevant control measures can better control the nosocomial infection caused by ultrasound examination.