Magnitude, Diversity, and Antibiograms of Bacteria Isolated from Patient-Care Equipment and Inanimate Objects of Selected Wards in Arba Minch General Hospital, Southern Ethiopia.

INTODUCTION

Patient-care equipment and inanimate objects contaminated with bacteria are a persistent problem in countries like Ethiopia, and remain overlooked. This study aimed to elucidate the magnitude of contaminations, diversity, and antimicrobial-susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates from selected wards of Arba Minch General Hospital, Ethiopia.

METHODS

Samples were inoculated into bacteriological media and identified by biochemical characterization, followed by antimicrobial-susceptibility tests.

RESULTS

Of the 99 inanimate objects and items of patient-care equipment examined, 71 (71.7%) showed contamination: 26 (76.4%) from the surgical ward and 22 (66.6%) and 23 (71.8%), respectively, from the pediatric ward and neonatal intensive care unit. In the case of Gram-positive bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; 52.2%) were predominant, followed by (47.7%), whereas common Gram-negative counterparts were spp. (28.5%) and spp. (23.8%). Antibiograms of and CoNS showed 100% and 78% resistance, respectively, against penicillin. Isolates of spp. showed 100% resistance to ceftriaxone and ampicillin, whereas those of spp. displayed complete resistance against ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. All isolates of spp., spp., spp., , and spp. exhibited 100% resistance to amoxicillin, ampicillin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Overall prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria was 57.7%.

CONCLUSION

A stringent infection-vigilance program comprising routine sampling from equipment and inanimate objects combined with antimicrobial-resistance surveillance and decontamination efforts must be instituted promptly.