Pathogenic Aerobic Bacterial Contaminants on Non-Critical Hospital Surfaces within Paediatric Ward of a Nigerian Hospital

Abstract

The study was a cross-sectional study of indoor hospital surfaces within paediatric wards to determine the pattern of pathogenic aerobic bacterial contaminants on non-critical surfaces within paediatric wards of UITH, Ilorin. A total of 201 surface swab samples were collected, using sterile ethylene oxide sterilized swab sticks premoistened with sterile normal saline, from selected non-critical surfaces and were aseptically cultured on media and incubated aerobically at 35°C to 37°C for 18 to 24 hours. Identification of bacterial isolates was carried out using standard microbiological procedure. Non-critical surfaces within paediatric wards: emergency paediatrics-unit 1 (EPU 1), emergency paediatric-unit 2 (EPU 2), paediatric medical-ward (PMW), paediatric surgical-ward (PSU) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A prevalence of 67.7% was recorded for surface contamination; Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant isolate 39.4% and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1.3% was the least contaminant isolated from this study. Wash sinks were the most commonly contaminated site amongst surfaces studied with a proportion of 123.5%, medical tables were the least contaminated with 33.33%. Among the wards sampled, EPU2 has the highest contamination level with 87.5% while NICU has the least contamination with 67.6%. This study showed that most of the sites sampled had bacterial contaminants indicating potential sources of cross contamination from surfaces to hands of healthcare workers, patients and vice-versa. It is pertinent to understand that non-critical hospital surfaces are important in the passive transmission of healthcare associated infectious pathogens. Thorough cleaning, disinfection of these surfaces and proper hand washing practices will break the chain of transmission.