Abstract
BackgroundHealthcare-associated infections have become a public health problem, creating a new burden on medical care in hospitals. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria poses a difficult task for physicians, who have limited therapeutic options. The dissemination of pathogens depends on “reservoirs”, the different transmission pathways of the infectious agents and the factors favouring them. Contaminated environmental surfaces are an important potential reservoir for the transmission of many healthcare-associated pathogens. Pathogens can survive or persist in the environment for months and be a source of infection transmission when appropriate hygiene and disinfection procedures are inefficient. The aim of this study was to identify bacterial species from hospital surfaces in order to effectively prevent healthcare-associated infections.MethodsSamples were taken from surfaces at the University Hospital of Abomey-Calavi/So-Ava in South Benin (West Africa). To achieve the objective of this study, 160 swab samples of hospital surfaces were taken as recommended by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14698-1). These samples were analysed in the bacteriology section of the National Laboratory for Biomedical Analysis. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics 21 software. A Chi Square Test was used to test the association between the Results of culture samples and different care units.ResultsOf the 160 surface samples, 65% were positive for bacteria. The frequency of isolation was predominant in Paediatrics (87.5%). The positive samples were 64.2% Gram-positive bacteria and 35.8% of Gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus predominated (27.3%), followed by Bacillus spp. (23.3%).The proportion of other microorganisms was negligible. S. aureus and Staphylococcus spp. were present in all care units. There was a statistically significant association between the Results of culture samples and different care units (χ2 = 12.732; p = 0.048).ConclusionThe bacteria found on the surfaces of the University Hospital of Abomey-Calavi/So-Ava’s care environment suggest a risk of healthcare-associated infections. Adequate hospital hygiene measures are required. Patient safety in this environment must become a training priority for all caregivers.
Highlights
Healthcare-associated infections have become a public health problem, creating a new burden on medical care in hospitals
Knowledge of the microbiological contamination of the surfaces surrounding a patient provides information on the activity in the room, the presence of nosocomial pathogens and the quality of the disinfection [8, 9]. It is in this context that we aimed to determine the bacterial ecology on surfaces or even medical devices at the University Hospital of Abomey-Calavi/So-Ava in South Biomedical Analysis of the Ministry of Health (Benin) (West Africa)
The greatest frequency of bacterial isolation was observed in paediatrics (87.5%) and the lowest proportion was found in the operating theatre (47.4%)
Summary
Healthcare-associated infections have become a public health problem, creating a new burden on medical care in hospitals. Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a public health problem due to their high morbidity and mortality rates and subsequent economic consequences [1]. Pathogens responsible for these infections are varied and may have an endogenous or exogenous origin [2]. Pathogens can contaminate the surfaces of the hospital environment at concentrations sufficient for transmission from the hands of the nursing staff, or survive persist despite the disinfection of the environment [5]. Prior contamination of the patient environment is a factor in the acquisition of Healthcare-associated infections [6]. The microbial ecology of the care units remains a known risk factor for these infections [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
