Gtaphylogocous Aureus from Surgigal Departments of Hosptals I Naddis Ababa Staff Carriage Rates, Environmental Contamination and Antibiograms

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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

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