Evaluation of Some Selected Medical Equipment in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital for Staphylococcus aureus of Nosocomial Threat

Abstract

Hospital is an establishment where patients that are diseased, infected, ill or injured receive medical care. A medical staff and equipment are required for the task of medical care delivery. The equipment that are employed in hospital could be classified as critical, semi-critical and non-critical depending on their design and tasks. A total of Eighty-five (85) samples of hospital equipment swab were obtained from Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital of which 40 samples of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated. The isolates were Gram stained followed by conventional biochemical test for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiogram of the isolates was determined. The isolates exhibited resistance to ampiclox (87.5%), zinnacef (92.5%), amoxicillin (92.5%), rocephin (80%), and septrin (55%), while susceptible to pefloxacin (77.5%), gentamicin (80%), streptomycin (72.5%), and ciprofloxacin (52.5%). Some of the resistant isolates were exposed to plasmid DNA analysis and were found to be plasmid borne of varied molecular weight, which could be responsible for resistance to the antibiotics observed. There is therefore a need for regular disinfection, properly sterilization and preservation of medical equipment before and after use, which could curtailed or reduce the spread of equipment borne nosocomial infection.