Assessment of Gram-negative Bacterial Contamination on Stethoscope in Khartoum State Hospitals

Abstract

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted to assess Gram-negative bacteria on stethoscopes in Sudanese hospitals, Khartoum State. The study was conducted in the period from April to June 2014. Stethoscopes swabs were collected randomly by swabbing the interior and exterior parts of each stethoscope diaphragm with sterile cotton swabs moistened in sterile normal saline before sampling. The samples were processed for bacterial load by Pour Plate Technique. Isolated Gram-negative bacteria were identified by their colonial morphology, Gram-stain and conventional biochemical tests. One hundred seventy nine (89.5%) of 200 stethoscopes tested were contaminated with bacteria. The average of bacterial load in stethoscopes was 126× CFU/diaphragm. The results revealed that the mean CFU/diaphragm were as follows; Omdurman Military Hospital 56× , Khartoum North Teaching Hospital 132× , Omdurman Teaching Hospital was 150× , and Ibrahim Malik Teaching Hospital was 166× Thirty eight Gram-negative bacteria were identified. These were Klebsiella pneumoniae 11 (5.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 12 (6%), Escherichia coli 10 (5%), and Proteus spp. 5 (2.5%). The study concluded that the contamination rate of stethoscopes was very high (89.5%). Systematic disinfection of stethoscopes with 70% alcohol is highly recommended to minimize the chance of spreading infectious agents between hospitalized patients. Further studies are required to validate the results of the present study.