Abstract

J. Omololu-Aso*, D. O. Kolawole, O. O. Omololu-Aso and S. O. Ajisebutu

This study determines the possible roles of cross contamination in the hospital environment. Two hundred swabs were obtained from doctors’ stethoscope diaphragm, cell phones of Health Care Workers (HCWS), patients’ bed linen, pillows and door knobs at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, from September 2003 to September 2005 using sterile cotton-tipped applicators. Cultures from the swabs were screened for Staphylococcus aureus. The results show that 18.70% of the doctors’ stethoscopes, 20.33% of the doctors’ cell phones, 20.33% of the door knobs were contaminated with S. aureus. Less than 99% of the isolated strains of S. aureus were sensitive to vancomycin, and rifampin, 95.12% to chloramphenicol, while 88% were sensitive to lincomycin, ciprofloxacin, and cotrimoxazole, 73% to gentamicin, cephalothin and cephalexin, while 70% were sensitive to amikacin and erythromycin. The isolates were sensitive to all tested antibiotics to different degrees except penicillin. The risk of having population of S. aureus strains with high multi-drug resistance is high in the study area, There is need to address indiscriminate use of antibiotics and other risk behaviors related to hygiene measure of the Health Care Workers.