THE ROLE OF DOOR HANDLES IN THE PROLIFERATION OF MICROORGANISMS OF PUBLIC HEALTH INTEREST IN MALE STUDENT HOSTELS, UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, UGBOWO CAMPUS, BENIN CITY, NIGERIA
Authors: Omoruyi N.B, *Ekhaise F.O
DOI Info: N/A
ABSTRACT
Contact with contaminated door handles is a means of infection transmission. This study investigated the role of door handles in the proliferation of microorganisms in male student hostels at the Ugbowo Campus of University of Benin. A total of 378 swab samples from the rooms’ door and toilet door handles in 3 hostels were randomly collected using sterile swab sticks between April, 2015 and September, 2015. The samples were processed using standard microbiological and molecular techniques. The bacterial counts for the period of 6 months ranged from 3.1±0.52 to 6.4±0.94×103 cfu/cm2, 4.4 ±0.37×103 to 8.5±0.55×103 cfu/cm2 and 4.2±0.55×103 7.2±0.85×103 cfu/cm2 for Halls 3, 4 and 5 respectively. The bacterial isolates identified were Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Aerococcus viridians, Corynebacterium sp., Staphylococcus epidermidis Micrococcus sp., Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Acinetobacter haemolyticus, and Serratia marcescens. Staphylococcus aureus was recorded the most predominant isolate with percentage frequency of occurrence at 23.61% prevalence while the least percentage frequency of occurrence was recorded for Aerococcus viridians at 0.24%. The pre and post curing susceptibility test of the isolates revealed that most of the antibiotics used like chloramphenicol, augmentin, ampiclox, streptomycin, septrin, pefloxacin and amoxicillin were resisted by all the isolates except S. epidermidis which showed increased susceptibility to Gentamycin, ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin, after curing. There were detectable plasmid fragments in E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Corynebacterium sp, S. epidermidis, S. aureus, P. vulgaris, E. aerogenes and K. pneumonia. Control measures should thus be established to reduce the spread of these antibiotic resistant isolates through door handles.
Affiliations: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, PMB 1154, Benin City, Nigeria
Keywords: University Of Benin, Hostel, Door Handles, Antibiotics, Bacterial Isolates
Published date: 2017/06/30
