EVALUATION OF BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION IN THE INANIMATE ENVIRONMENT SURFACES IN ACUTE CARE HOSPITALS IN KYIV, UKRAINE.

OBJECTIVE

The aim: To evaluate the quality of cleaning and disinfection of surfaces scheduled for daily cleaning and degree of bacterial contamination of hospital rooms and the patients' inanimate environment in Kyiv acute care hospitals, Ukraine.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: We performed a multicenter prospectively study of the quality of cleaning and disinfection of surfaces scheduled for daily cleaning in 9 acute care hospitals by use of an ultraviolet fluorescence targeting method and microbial methods.

RESULTS

Results: A total 9,104 environmental samples from were collected and tested. The cleaning and disinfection of surfaces were not being performed properly in most cases. Complete removal of the mark was 49.1%, partial removal was 37,5%, and mark was still visible, i.e. this area had not been processed was 13,4% when the ultraviolet fluorescence targeting method procedures were used, respectively. The predominant bacterial agents in hospital environment surfaces were: Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus spp., Citrobacter spp., Acinetobacter spp., and Enterococcus spp. The overall proportion of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production among Enterobacteriaceae was 31.5% and of methicillin-resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) 14.9%. Vancomycin resistance was observed in 5.2% of isolated enterococci (VRE). Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was observed in 12.7% E.coli isolates and was in 11.2% K. pneumoniae isolates. Carbapenem resistance was identified in 24.7% of P.aeruginosa isolates and 59.3% of Acinetibacter spp. isolates.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: In a hospital rooms, patient environmental surfaces can be a vehicle for the transmission of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial agents that cause healthcare-associated infections.