Inanimate Surfaces and Air Contamination with Multidrug Resistant Species of Staphylococcus in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Environment

Ralciane De Paula Menezes,Lara De Andrade Marques,Nagela Bernadelli Sousa Silva,Felipe Flávio Silva,Mário Paulo Amante Penatti,Reginaldo Dos Santos Pedroso,Lúcio Borges De Araújo,Priscila Guerino Vilela Alves,Meliza Arantes De Souza Bessa,Denise Von Dolinger De Brito Röder

doi:10.3390/microorganisms10030567

Ralciane De Paula Menezes, Lara De Andrade Marques + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10030567

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Journal: Microorganisms	Publication Date: Mar 5, 2022
Citations: 1	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia

Abstract

Background: Contamination of the hospital environment with multi-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus increases the risk of infection. The aim of this study is to identify the MDR species of Staphylococcus on inanimate surfaces, in air, and in clinical samples, and analyze the risk factors that correlate with the occurrence of infections in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Methods: Samples of inanimate surfaces and air were taken using a premoistened swab (0.9% sodium chloride) and spontaneous air sedimentation, respectively. The clinical isolates were recovered from infected neonates. The isolates (environmental and clinical) were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight and the resistance profile was calculated using the disk diffusion agar technique. Results: In total, 181 isolates were obtained, 93 from (surfaces), 18 from the air, and 70 clinical samples. S. epidermidis was the most frequent species (66.8%), and the failure rate in air cleaning was 100%. More than 60% of the isolates were MDR, and the majority of clinical isolates (60.4%) had a resistance profile identical to that of the environmental isolates. Conclusion: Staphylococcus spp. were found in most of the analyzed samples, with a high frequency of MDR isolates, demonstrating the importance of the hospital environment as a reservoir, and the need for infection control measures, and rational use of antimicrobials.

Highlights

The microbial contamination of the hospital environment plays an important role in the development of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) and contributes to the increase in morbidity and mortality of patients admitted to the Neonatal Intensive CareUnit (NICU) [1]
Despite the relevance of the subject, studies of this type in the NICU are scarce; the purpose of this study was to identify the MDR species of Staphylococcus on inanimate surfaces, in air, and in clinical samples and analyze the risk factors that correlate with the occurrence of infections caused by these microorganisms in an NICU
Regarding the samples collected from the air, all exposed plates showed growth of Staphylococcus spp., totaling 18 isolates, 16 (88.9%) of which were S. epidermidis and two (11.1%) S. aureus

Summary

Introduction

The microbial contamination of the hospital environment plays an important role in the development of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) and contributes to the increase in morbidity and mortality of patients admitted to the Neonatal Intensive CareUnit (NICU) [1]. Staphylococcus spp. multidrug resistance (MDR) is responsible for 2% to 5% of HAIs in the NICU and causes significant neonatal morbidity and mortality (20–35%) [11,15,16]. These microorganisms can survive for long periods on inanimate surfaces and in the air [3,15,17]. The aim of this study is to identify the MDR species of Staphylococcus on inanimate surfaces, in air, and in clinical samples, and analyze the risk factors that correlate with the occurrence of infections in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Conclusion: Staphylococcus spp. were found in most of the analyzed samples, with a high frequency of MDR isolates, demonstrating the importance of the hospital environment as a reservoir, and the need for infection control measures, and rational use of antimicrobials

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