Pattern of bacterial colonization of health care personnel at a reference hospital in North- eastern Nigeria

Background: Health care personnel (HCP) play a significant role in the spread of healthcare-associated infections. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of bacterial colonization of HCP at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Azare.Methods: A cross sectional survey of health workers was st st conducted from 1 to 31 October, 2019. Swabs were taken from the hands and naso-pharynx of the subjects, processed and results analyzed.Results: Eighty-two HCP [64 (78%) males and 18(22%) females] were recruited. The prevalence of bacterial colonization of HCP was 70.7%. The naso-pharyngeal carriage rate was 52.4 per 100 HCP and isolates included Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella spp, a-Streptococcus and Haemophilus influenza. The carriage rate of hands was 10.1 per 100 HCP composed of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Klebsiella spp. Doctors accounted for 20.0% of those without a positive swab culture and nurses accounted for 44.0% of this figure. The naso-pharynx was the most likely site 2 to be colonized by bacteria (÷ =112.4, df=24, P? 0.001). All the isolates were resistant to amoxicillin+ clavulanic acid, and all except 9.7% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to both ceftriaxone and cefixime. Two (10.0%) of Escherichia coli isolates were sensitive to erythromycin.Conclusion: There was a high colonization rate by bacteria as well as a high hand carriage rate of Escherichia coli by HCP in FMC Azare. Resistance to commonly used antimicrobials was also prevalent among the isolates. Keywords: Health care, Personnel, Bacterial colonization, Naso-pharynx, Hands, Azare