Microbiological Analysis of Indoor Air in the Provincial Hospital of Sidi Kacem, Morocco

Abstract

Background: The air environment of the hospital is often contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms of various
origins, which constitute a risk of infection for hospitalized patients, health staff and visitors. Microbiological
control of the hospital wards is an essential element in the prevention of these infections, it allows a bacterial
diagnosis of the area in order to carry out preventive and corrective actions.
Objective: The aim of this study is to reduce the rate of nosocomial infections, through the diagnosis of bacteria
present in the services area of the provincial hospital of sidi kacem in the region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Morocco.
Methods: 14 samples of the area were collected from different sites on the hospital wards, using the sedimentation
technique, by exposing Petri plates containing nutrient agar, in a 1m2 area for 30 minutes. The plates were incubated
in a temperature of 37 ± 1 °C for 48 hours. The isolates were identified by the classical biochemical gallery and API
(Biomerieux, France).
Results: A total of eight (08) bacterial species were isolated from the air with a predominance of coagulase-negative
staphylococci (36%), Bacillus sp (25%), staphylococcus aureus (20%) and E. coli (8%) followed. One (1) sample
was a negative culture with a positivity rate of 93%. The distribution of isolated bacteria by department shows a
predominance of bacterial strains in the intensive care unit (24%) and the emergency department (19%).
Conclusion: These surprising results demonstrated the importance to implement a periodic monitoring of the
hospital area, and a global policy for the prevention of nosocomial infections including an air treatment protocol.