Bacteria Associated with Hospital Waste of Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4314/ajtmbr.v8i1.4Keywords:
Hospital waste, bacteria, resistanceAbstract
Introduction: Hospital waste management is critical for minimizing health risks and environmental damage, particularly in developing countries where inadequate training and resources exacerbate these issues. The Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri, serves as a case study to determine the bacteria associated with hospital waste.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the bacterial contamination in hospital waste.
Materials and Methods: An experimental study design was employed. The hospital waste samples were analysed for bacterial contamination via microbiological standards.
Results: The infectious waste had the highest total viable count (9.86±0.28 CFU/g), indicating a high level of microbial presence, whereas the sharps waste presented a much lower total viable count of 5.40±0.52 CFU/g. The highest number of infectious waste isolates was 45 (30.2%), followed by general waste 41 (27.5%) and chemical waste 8 (5.4%). Among the infectious waste, Enterobacter cloacae (50%) was the most common bacterium, followed by Staphylococcus scuri ssp. lentus (32%). Among the sharps waste, Staphylococcus gallinarum (12%) was the most common, followed by Staphylococcus xylosus and Escherichia coli (11%). In general waste, Pantoea ananatis (100%) was the most prevalent bacterium, followed by Escherichia coli (38.9%), and the least prevalent was Staphylococcus scuri ssp. lentus (20%).
Conclusion: This study highlights the need to mitigate the spread of resistant pathogens. Continuous monitoring and updated waste management strategies are essential to protect public health and the environment.
References
Kumari A, Maurya NS, Tiwari B. Hospital wastewater treatment scenario around the globe. Curr Dev Biotech Bioeng. 2019;549–570.
Janik-Karpinska E, Brancaleoni R, Niemcewicz M, Wojtas W, et al. Healthcare waste — a serious problem for global health. Healthcare (Basel). 2023;54–62.
Ezeudu OB, Ezeudu TS, Ugochukwu UC, Tenebe IT, et al. Healthcare waste management in Nigeria: a review. Recycling. 2022;706–717.
Lee SM, Lee D. Effective medical waste management for sustainable green healthcare. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19–22.
Afesi-Dei C, Appiah-Brempong M, Awuah E. Health-care waste management practices: the case of Ho Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Heliyon. 2023;155–164.
Frederick E, Udofia EA, Ayivor J, Osei MM, Tetteh J, et al. Disposal habits and microbial load of solid medical waste in subdistrict healthcare facilities and households in Yilo-Krobo municipality, Ghana. PLoS One. 2021;261–271.
World Health Organization (WHO). Healthcare Waste. 2018. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-care-waste
. Accessed 22 Sept 2024.
Wang X, Firouzkouhi H, Chow JC, Watson JG, Ho SSH, et al. Chemically speciated air pollutant emissions from open burning of household solid waste from South Africa. Atmos Chem Phys. 2023;23:15375–15393.
World Health Organization (WHO). Healthcare Waste Management and Infection Control: A Global Perspective. 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241550174
. Accessed 22 Sept 2024.
Murray I. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2019;399(10325):629–655.
Nwaokoro JC. Risk factors associated with gestational diabetes among pregnant women in Owerri Municipal Council, South Eastern Nigeria. Asian J Med Sci. 2014;5(Suppl 1):39–46.
Nkwopara C. The Federal Medical Center Owerri gets ₦290 million equipment upgrade. Wikipedia. 2020. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Medical_Centre,_Owerri
. Accessed 18 Sept 2024.
Ekeleme UG, Ikwuagwu VO, Chukwuocha UM, et al. Detection and characterization of microorganisms linked to unsealed drugs sold in the Ihiagwa community, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Access Microbiol. 2024;6(4):000752–000763.
Sukhum KV, Newcomer EP, Cass C. Antibiotic-resistant organisms establish reservoirs in new hospital environments and are related to patient blood infection isolates. Commun Med. 2022;2:62.
Ekeleme UG, Ansari RA, Osaribie NA, Rabiu KM. Microbial load of domestic water sources treated with Moringa oleifera or Jatropha curcas seed powder. South Asian J Res Microbiol. 2020;7(4):9–20.
Khan ZA, Siddiqui MF, Park S. Current and emerging methods of antibiotic susceptibility testing. Diagnostics (Basel). 2019;9(2):49. doi:10.3390/diagnostics9020049
.
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing; Twenty-Fifth Informational Supplement. Wayne (PA): CLSI; 2021. M100-S25.
Humphries R, Bobenchik AM, Hindler JA, Schuetz AN. Overview of changes to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing, M100, 31st edition. J Clin Microbiol. 2021;59(Suppl 12):00213–00221.
World Health Organization (WHO). Healthcare Waste: Key Facts. WHO Press; 2017. Available from: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/wpro---documents/hae---regional-forum-(2016)/hcwmanagement-factsheet-rfhe.pdf
. Accessed 8 Sept 2024.
Chartier Y, Emmanuel J, Pieper U, Prüss A, et al., eds. Safe Management of Wastes from Health-Care Activities. 2nd ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014. Accessed 11 Sept 2024.
Ndimele EC, Ekeleme UG, Ogodo AC, Nwachukwu NC. Evaluation of the level of air microbial contamination in some teaching hospitals waste dump sites in South-Eastern Nigeria. Niger Hosp Pract. 2015;15(4):31–38.
Prüss-Ustün A, Rapiti E, Hutin Y. Sharps injuries: global burden of disease from sharps injuries to health-care workers. Environ Burden Dis Series. 2019;3. Geneva: World Health Organization.
McGain F, Naylor C. Environmental sustainability in hospitals – a systematic review and research agenda. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2014;19(4):245–252.
Kümmerer K. The presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment due to human use – present knowledge and future challenges. J Environ Manage. 2009;90(8):2354–2366.
Ndimele EC, Ekeleme UG, Ogodo AC, Nwachukwu NC, Nnadi CJ, Otutu EA. Microbiological studies of waste dumpsite in Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba. J Med Investig Pract. 2014;9:15–16.
Khan R, Ahmed M, Hassan A. Morphological and biochemical characterization of bacterial pathogens in hospital environments. J Clin Microbiol. 2021;59(6):01245–01250.
Magiorakos AP, Srinivasan A, Carey RB, Carmeli Y, et al. Multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant and pandrug-resistant bacteria: an international expert proposal for interim standard definitions for acquired resistance. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020;18(3):268–281.
Neyra RC, Frisancho JA, Sánchez HF. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in healthcare waste: a study on its prevalence and resistance patterns. J Environ Health Sci Eng. 2019;17(2):927–936.
Raut S, Adhikari S, Pant ND. Prevalence and antibiogram of Escherichia coli from hospital waste in Nepal: a potential public health threat. BMC Infect Dis. 2023;23(1):216.
Weller CF, Archer MJ, Pelayo JL. Pantoea ananatis: an emerging human pathogen in healthcare waste. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2021;42(Suppl 8):953–958.
Aderemi MO, Adewuyi GO, Agboola OO. Evaluation of microbial contamination in healthcare waste: a case study of Lagos State, Nigeria. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2019;26(9):8793–8801.
Hassuna NA, Abdelaziz A, Gaber SN. Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens: a review. J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2022;30:307–320.
Logan LK, Weinstein RA. The epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae: the impact and evolution of a global menace. J Infect Dis. 2017;282.
Yang Q, Liao J, Fang R. Resistance mechanisms of penicillin and ampicillin in gram-negative bacteria. Front Microbiol. 2023;13:846521.
Kanj SS, Kanafani ZA. Current concepts in antimicrobial therapy against resistant gram-negative organisms: extended-spectrum beta-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Mayo Clin Proc. 2020;95(1):68–82.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 African Journal of Tropical Medicine and Biomedical Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Key Terms:
- Attribution: You must give appropriate credit to the original creator.
- NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
For full details, please review the Complete License Terms.
