INFLUENCE OF BIOMEDICAL WASTE ON NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS

TIKU, D.R., ASIKONG, E.B.E., BASSEY, I.U.

Abstract: Biomedical waste and its influence on nosocomial infections was studied. Passive air sample was performed using settle plates, waste water samples from the drippings, soil sediment underlying solid waste and soil adjacent to the dump site were collected from a depth of 0-30cm with UCTH and General and Hospital Calabar, Calabar . The samples were evaluated using standard microbiological techniques. The result of the total microbial count of air samples within the waste dumpsite of the hospital showed that the total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC) and total staphylococcal count (TSC) ranged from 164.1±0.5 to 179.0±0.8cfu/m³, 21.0±0.2 to 30.0±0.3cfu/m³, 6.0±0.1 to 9.0+0.2cfu/m³ respectively, while the air within the reception unit (AR) ranged from 62.0±2.0 to 73.2±2.8cfu/m³, 6.3±1.0 to 10.4±1.2cfu/m³, 3.9±0.1 to 6.0±0.3cfu/m³ respectively. Unlike the control air samples, a lower TVC, TCC and TSC which ranged from 21.4±0.71 to 29.8±0.92cfu.m³, 2.0±0.01 to 7.4±0.02cfu/m³, 0 to 3.8±0.01cfu/m³ respectively were observed. The total microbial count of soil samples underlying solid waste samples from the hospitals had a TVC, TCC and TSC which ranged from 2.4±0.4 x 10⁸ to 3.9±0.8 x 10⁸cfu/g, 2.0±0.6 x 10⁴ 2.9 ± 0.9 x 10⁴cfu/g, 2.3±0.7 x 10² to 3.47±1.0 x 10²cfu/g respectively, while that of samples from the soil adjacent to the dumpsite ranged from 4.2±0.2 x 10⁷ to 4.8±0.2 x 10⁸cfu/g, 2.2±0.5 x 10⁴ to 2.4± 0.7 x 10⁴cfu/g, 2.0. ± 0.1 x 10² to 2.81 ± 0.6 x 10²cfu/g respectively. Similarly, a lower count was observed in the control soil from the two hospitals with the TVC, TCC and TSC ranging from 3.4±0.7 x 10⁴ to 3.9±0.8 x10⁴cfu/g, 1.8±0.2 x 10³ to 2.0±0.3 x 10³cfu/g, 1.7±0.1 x 10² 1.9± 0.2 x 10²cfu/g respectively. The microbial count of the dripping samples from the waste dumpsite in UCTH and General hospital Calabar had a TVC, TCC, and TSC that ranged from 7.4±1.8 x 10⁷ to 9.2±2.0 x 10⁷cfu/ml, 3.4±1.0 x 10³ to 3.8±1.0 x 10³cfu/ml and 1.5±0.6 x 10²cfu/ml to 2.1±0.8 x 10²cfu/ml respectively. The microorganisms isolated from the various samples and control were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Bacillus sp., Streptococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Corynebacterium sp., and Shigella sp. However, the high microbial load densities encountered in this study, suggests that the activities of hospital wastes in the environment is a major health and environmental threat as well as a potential source of nosocomial infection. Therefore, there is an urgent need to raise awareness, education and management strategy on biomedical waste issues to ensure public health and environmental safety.