Gram-Negative Rods on Inanimate Surfaces of Selected Hospital Facilities and Their Nosocomial Significance

Ondrej Zahornacký, Štefan Porubčin, Alena Rovňáková and Pavol Jarčuška
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Ondrej Zahornacký: Department of Infectology and Travel Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Louis Pasteur University Hospital, Pavol Jozef Šafarik University, 041 90 Košice, Slovakia
Štefan Porubčin: Department of Infectology and Travel Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Louis Pasteur University Hospital, Pavol Jozef Šafarik University, 041 90 Košice, Slovakia
Alena Rovňáková: Department of Infectology and Travel Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Louis Pasteur University Hospital, Pavol Jozef Šafarik University, 041 90 Košice, Slovakia
Pavol Jarčuška: Department of Infectology and Travel Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Louis Pasteur University Hospital, Pavol Jozef Šafarik University, 041 90 Košice, Slovakia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-11

Abstract: Inanimate surfaces are often referred to as nosocomial bacterial reservoirs and represent an important vector in the process of spreading pathogens to patients. Most gram-negative rods can survive on inanimate surfaces for several months. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and resistance of gram-negative bacteria isolated from the inanimate surfaces of two selected hospital departments. MALDI-TOF identified gram-negative rods isolated from inanimate surfaces. Antibiotic resistance was determined using a disk diffusion method, and the phenotype of resistance was determined using an inhibitory analyzer. From the inanimate surfaces, 98 strains of gram-negative nosocomial bacteria were identified by the MALDI-TOF MS. The most frequently isolated bacterium occurring in both departments was Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( n = 33), followed by Acinetobacter baumannii ( n = 20) and Enterobacter cloacae ( n = 14). The most common phenotypic type of resistance in both departments was ampicillin resistance—AmpC ( n = 38), then production of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) ( n = 33), followed by SHV-1 ( n = 11), TEM-1 ( n = 11), and fluoroquinolone resistance—Qnr ( n = 22). The nosocomial important enzymes capable of hydrolyzing carbapenems, OXA-48 and metallo-β-lactamases, were confirmed in 12 and 2 cases, respectively. The results of our study prove that inanimate surfaces in hospitals are a reservoir of resistant gram-negative bacteria, which directly threaten hospitalized patients.

Keywords: nosocomial; sticks; gram-negative; inanimate; surfaces (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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