Occurrence and prevalence of bacteria on door handles at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and the multidrug resistance implications

Abstract

Background. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has heightened concerns regarding transmitting hospital-acquired infections through high-contact points in healthcare facilities, such as door handles, which can serve as reservoirs for pathogenic micro-organisms. With the increased infectivity of the serious acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, there is greater awareness of the risk of multidrug-resistant bacteria on these surfaces, necessitating strict surveillance prevention protocols. Objective. This study assesses the occurrence and prevalence of bacteria on toilet door handles at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in Nigeria and the multidrug resistance implications. We examined the hospital infection level and overall sanitary conditions. Method. Experimental data from our study on hospital door handles in different locations were assessed. Eighty-six samples were collected from toilet door handles at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Ethical approval was obtained from the hospital departments and the university research ethics committee. Samples from private offices and doors without handles were excluded. Bacteria were isolated from the samples, and antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed. Result. Of the 329 bacteria isolated, 55.5 % were Gram-positive and 44.4 % Gram-negative. The most prevalent bacteria were Staphylococcus epidermidis , followed by Bacillus sp. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria was also low, with Enterococcus sp. having the highest prevalence of 28.57%, followed by Micrococcus sp. at 3.45 % and S. epidermidis at 1.96 %. Conclusion. The results show that, despite the occurrence of pathogenic micro-organisms, there has been a reduction in the prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria strains. This study can be used as an example for environmental microbiological surveillance in suspected outbreak investigations and assessment of sanitary conditions and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in healthcare facilities.