Change in environmental bacterial flora in a new hospital building

J Hosp Infect. 2009 Sep;73(1):24-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2009.05.019. Epub 2009 Jul 28.

Abstract

Microbial surveillance of environmental bacteria was performed in order to study the microbial changes in a newly established hospital building. Airborne bacteria and surface-associated bacteria on floors and sinks were systematically collected between 2002 and 2005. The number of isolates obtained from frequently used floors was significantly higher than that obtained from those floors used less often. A significant increase in Staphylococcus aureus, the appearance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and changes among species of Gram-negative bacilli were observed 8-11 months after the new building had been opened. Furthermore, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing of meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and P. aeruginosa showed that strains of the same PFGE groups were isolated from different sinks, floors and the adjoining old buildings. The number of MRSA isolates obtained from the new building increased as time passed. The sinks from which P. aeruginosa strains of the same PFGE type were isolated are connected by the same drainage pipe. Human movement has considerable effects on bacterial flora and their subsequent spread.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / classification*
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification*
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Biodiversity*
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Environmental Microbiology*
  • Genotype
  • Hospitals*
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Prevalence