Bacterial contamination and antimicrobial susceptibility from the hands of health care workers (HCWs) and inanimate surfaces in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Windhoek Central Hospital (WCH)

Bacterial contamination of intensive care unit surfaces is of clinical concern because it is one of the major risk factors of intensive care unit-acquired infections and centre point of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens. This study aimed to determine the distribution of bacteria isolated from the hands of health care workers (HCWs) and inanimate surfaces in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Windhoek Central Hospital. A cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out in NICU from September 2018 to October 2018 at the Windhoek Central Hospital in Windhoek. This study entailed the collection of 34 swab samples from high-contact environmental surfaces, as well as 2 swab samples from the hands of HCWs in NICU. Overall out of the surfaces swabbed, 52.8% yielded positive bacterial growth and 48.2% of the surfaces had no bacterial growth after 48 hours of incubation. Five different pathogens were identified, S. aureus, CoNS, Enterobacter species, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Acinetobacter species respectively. CoNS accounted for majority of the bacterial pathogens isolated 70%, followed by Enterobacter species. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of clinically relevant pathogens tested showed similar patterns, with high resistant level to penicillin and cepholosporins. In the light of this, there is need therefore for thorough disinfection and conscientious contact control procedures to minimize the spread of these pathogens in the neonatal intensive care unit, where interaction between patients, HCWs, parents and caregivers is very common and frequent.