Evaluation and Susceptibility Pattern of Airbonre Gram Negative Bacilli Bacteria in Operating Theaters and Intensive Care Units in North Jordan Hospitals, Jordan

Ismail Saadoun; Ibrahim Ali Al Tayyar

Authors

Ismail Saadoun Department of Applied Biology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
Ibrahim Ali Al Tayyar Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Sebha University, Sebha, Libya

Keywords:

Airborne, Antibiotic, Bacteria, Gram negative bacilli, Hospital

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the presence of airborne Gram Negative Bacilli in the operating theatres (OT), intensive care units (ICU) and nursery intensive care units (NICU) of north Jordanian hospitals, and their susceptibility to several antibiotics. 244 air samples of 100 liters volume/min were collected by a microbiological air sampler from the above units during the period of seven months. Air samples were impacted on trypticase soy agar (TSA) then incubated at 37 °C for 48 hours. Each bacterial colony that subsequently appeared on agar plates were sub-cultured on blood agar and MacConkey Agar with incubation at 37 °C for 24-48 hours, and then identified by standard methods. The average bacterial count in the OT, ICU and NICU ranged between 0 to 1200, 30 to 1160, 40 to 1130 CFU/m3, respectively. Gram Negative Bacilli comprised 2.35%, 1.57% and 1.58% in OT, ICU and NICU, respectively. Of all Gram Negative Bacilli Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Acinetobacter spp. comprised of 42%, 18.7% and 17.4% respectively in all studied units. However, Aeromonas spp. comprised of 10% isolated only in ICU and NICU. In addition Enterobacter cloacae, E. sakazakii and Proteus spp. comprised of 3.4%, 6.3% and 1.5% respectively being present in the OT only. Gram Negative Bacilli showed a considerable resistance to some antibiotics, the highest for Ceftriaxone 25.1%, followed by Nalidixic acid with 24.6. Cefuroxime and Cefaclor resistance was 22.6%. The lowest resistance rate was observed with Gentamycin 9.4%, Ciprofloxacin 10%, Imipenem 10.4% and Amikacin 11.4%.

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