Microbiological burden in air culture at various units of a tertiary care government hospital in Nepal.

BACKGROUND

The environmental matrices (water, air, and surfaces) play a vital role as reservoirs of Legionella spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pseudomonas spp.). Hence, hospital environment control procedures are effective measures for reducing nosocomial infections.

AIMS

This study was carried out to explore the profiles of microorganisms in air culture at various wards/units of a tertiary care hospital in Nepal.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at various wards/units of a tertiary care hospital in Nepal between January and September 2015 to explore the microbiological burden in inanimate objects. Each week one ward or unit was selected for the study. Bed, tap, the entire room, trolley, computer, phone, rack handles, table, chair, door, stethoscope, oxygen mask, gown, cupboard handles, and wash basins were selected for air culture testing. Ten different wards/units and 77 locations/pieces of equipment were selected for air culture by employing a simple random sampling technique. Information about the organisms was entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 22 (IBM: Armonk, NY) and descriptive analyses were carried out.

RESULTS

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Micrococcus, coagulase negative staphylococcus (CONS), Bacillus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, yeast, and Acinetobacter were the most commonly detected organisms. In the postoperative ward, S. aureus was the most frequently detected microorganism. Micrococcus was detected in four out of 10 locations. In the x-ray unit, S. aureus was detected in three out of four locations.

CONCLUSION

S. aureus, Micrococcus, CONS, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, yeast, and Acinetobacter were the most common organisms detected.