Gtaphylogocous Aureus from Surgigal Departments of Hosptals I Naddis Ababa Staff Carriage Rates, Environmental Contamination and Antibiograms
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Date
1982-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Six hundred strains of Staph;zlococ£~ aur:::.us were
isolated from the Black Lion Teaching Htispital Surgical
Department environment (353), from the nose, wrist and arm
skin of surgical staff of six selected hospitals in Addis
Ababa (161) , and a non~hospital population (86).
Out of 454 surgicnl staff examined, 139 00.6%) were
nasal carriers and 22 (51%) of 43 nasal carriers also ,"
carried the organism on their skin. Carrier rates among
different catesories of surgical staff varied; the hichest
rate was amoni; surGeons (56%). The non-hospital population
comprised 328 students, and 2i.6% of them were nasal carriers.
Of 55 non-hospital nasal carriers 15 (27%) were found to
carry the or;:;anism on their wrist skin, '1.'he carrier rate
of the non~hospital population was significantly lower
(F( 0,01) than that of the hospital population. 'rhe rate
was hiGher in males than in females in hospitals, but not
in the non-hospital population.
The environment of operating rooms and surgical wards
of Black Lion Teaching Hospital was highly contaminated
wi th StaI?h:.. ~eus , Over 75% of air samples and 3'/% of dust
._, • I samples were posltlve,
-VIII~
.The non-hospital isolates were much more sensitive to
antibiotics than the hospital isolates. Over 96% of nonhospital
isolates were sensitive to nine antibiotics, but
only 37% and 74% were sensitive to penicillin and tetracycline
respectively. About 90% of all isolates were sensitive
to clindamycin, cephalothin, gentamicin, kanamycin
and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and none was resistant
to vancomycin. The majority of hospital staphylococci,
87% of surGical staff isolates and 60% of environmental
isolates were resistant to penicillin, and over 60% of both
types of isolates resistant to tetracycline.
About 94% and 88% of hospital and non-hospital staphylococci,
respectively, were resistant to at least one antibiotic.
Multiple resistance among non-hospital staphylococci
was remarkably lower (2.3%) than that of hospital
isolates (over 37%). Different types of antibiograms were
detected: 66 among environmental, 36 amons suro;ical staff,
and 6 among non-hospital isolates. These varied between
resistance to one and to nine antibiotics. Combined resistance
to penicillin and tetracycline was the most frequent
pattern. The findings were compared with other reports from
Ethiopia and elsewhere. Based on the present study and
other similar recent reports·from Addis Ababa, tile need
for strict antibiotic policy, continued surveillance,
assignment of infection officers and maintenance of cleanliness
of the hospital environment have been stressed.
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Biology