Bacterial Contamination of Surfaces and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Strains Isolated in the Hemodialysis Units of Two Referral Hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Gabrielle Sonia Melone *
Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Georgette Ekanga
Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Bacteriology Laboratory, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Estelle Madaha
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Marie-Christine Fonkoua
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Yves Le Grand Napa Tchuedji
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Virgile Brice Tchadjet Tchana
Bacteriology Laboratory, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Cédric Gueguim
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Department of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Environmental Biology (ISABEE), University of Bertoua, Bertoua, Cameroon.
Victorine Nzana
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Haemodialysis Unit, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Aristide Nono
Yaoundé General Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Maimouna Mahamat
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Yaoundé General Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Marie Paule Ngogang
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Yaoundé General Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Solange Meyin à Ebong
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Anicette Chafa
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Bacteriology Laboratory, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon andFaculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
William Baiye Abange
Bacteriology Laboratory, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Aude Nanfack
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Ghislaine Metsina Ndzana
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Lilianne Cathy Maminken
Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Bernadette Fokou Bomgning
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Francois Kaze Folefack
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Haemodialysis Unit, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Hortense Gonsu Kamga
Cameroonian Society for Microbiology (CASOMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon and Bacteriology Laboratory, Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To describe bacterial growth on selected inert surfaces in the haemodialysis units of two referral hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and summarise the reported antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of recovered organisms.
Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional environmental microbiology study.
Place and duration: Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (CHUY) and Yaoundé General Hospital (HGY), Cameroon, October 2023 to June 2024.
Methods: A total of 146 swab samples were obtained from selected frequently touched environmental surfaces and medical equipment. Samples were cultured following broth enrichment; isolates were characterised using Gram staining and conventional biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated by disc diffusion using the 2023 CA-SFM/EUCAST framework.
Results: Of the 146 swabs, 113 yielded bacterial growth (77.4%). Sampling comprised 37 swabs from CHUY and 109 from HGY. The reported isolate inventory included 154 organisms; the displayed genus chart accounts for 150 of these, including 97 staphylococci (24 at CHUY and 73 at HGY). The phenotype summary included 25 isolates labelled methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (16.2% of all 154 reported isolates) and two labelled extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producers (1.3%). The original surface-category summary covered 140 of 146 swabs, limiting interpretation of the category-specific distribution.
Conclusion: Frequent bacterial recovery was observed on the selected haemodialysis surfaces. Staphylococci predominated among organisms represented in the genus-level summary, and antimicrobial-resistance phenotypes were recorded. These descriptive findings support careful attention to infection-prevention practices, but do not establish clinical transmission or infection risk
Keywords: Environmental surface contamination, haemodialysis, bacterial isolates, antimicrobial susceptibility, hospital hygiene, Cameroon