Microbiologic profile of hospitalized healthcare workers

Abstract

Objective: according to the epidemiologic and antimicrobial resistance profile, infections are usually classified as community-acquired or nosocomial. Reports on patients without the classic criteria for nosocomial infection with multidrug-resistant germs are increasing. There is a particular concern regarding which microbiological profile must be addressed in case of infections in healthcare workers. This study was carried out with the purpose of identifying the prevalence of infection by multidrug-resistant germs in healthcare workers exposed to occupational contact with such germs at work. Methods: observational and retrospective study. In a 7-year period, healthcare worker hospitalizations were identified and the cultures results were assessed in order to identify the prevalence of infection by multidrug-resistant pathogens. Results: 1,487 healthcare workers hospitalizations were identified. In 105 of these hospitalizations, cultures were collected on the first 5 days after admission, and in 22 patients, 24 germs were identified. Multidrug-resistant pathogens were not found. Conclusion: in our sample, composed of workers from a tertiary public hospital who were hospitalized, none of the individuals presented MDR colonization or infection. These results suggest that when healthcare workers present infections, they must receive antibiotic therapy directed to community-acquired pathogens. In light of the limitations of this study, further larger and multicenter studies must be developed to enlighten such issue.