Isolation of Acinetobacter bacteria from environmental samples in a university hospital

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Hospital-acquired infections are considered one of the most confusing because of their association with antibiotic- and antiseptic-resistant bacteria.                                                                                                             Acinetobacter bacteria are aerobic, Gram-negative coccobacilli, non- fermenting, isolated in hospital environments, causing infections that are widely spread in recent decades, and due to the spread of it in our hospitals causing hospital-acquired infections, this study will investigate it in peripheral samples from several wards in a University Hospital, with a comparison between the wards, and according to the type of taken sample.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted at Al-Mouwasat University Hospital in Damascus, on 50 samples taken from 5 wards: Intensive Care Unit, Fifth Aid, Burns and Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, and Internal medicine Ward. The taken samples were: air, water, patients' beds, mobile phones, resuscitation and breathing devices, and Acinetobacter were isolated in the microbiology laboratory between 1/1/2021 until 1/7/2021, and all Gram-positive, fermenting Gram-negative, and positive oxidase bacteria were excluded, identification is confirmed after performing Gram staining of the sample.             Results: Acinetobacter was isolated from 19 out of 50 samples (38%), and the largest positive percentage was from the Intensive Care unit (22%, 11/50), while it was not isolated from Internal Medicine ward, but for the samples, it was isolated for the largest proportion of Resuscitation equipment (6/50, 12%, and 6/19, 31.6%), while it was not isolated from water in all wards.              Conclusion: Our study confirmed the presence of Acinetobacter in the environment of the hospital, which is a source of infection for inpatients, while determining the difference in their spread among the wards of the hospital, in order to make the necessary recommendations to limit the spread and follow appropriate methods of disinfection and sterilization, in accordance with the nature of the studied sources of infection.