Study of Bacterial Contamination in the Operating Room and Newborn Intensive Care Unit: Effects of the Predominantly Used Antibiotics at Sabratha Teaching Hospital

Contamination by bacteria in the operating room (OR) and newborn intensive care units (NICU) has continued to increase the incidence of nosocomial infections and a center point of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. This study was to examine the spread of bacteria isolated from inanimate surfaces in the operating room and neonatal intensive care units at Sabratha Teaching Hospital and find out the effectiveness of the most antimicrobial used. Methods: At the Sabratha Teaching Hospital in Sabratha, Libya, a cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in the OR and NICU from February to May 2024. A total of 22 swab samples were collected from high-contact environmental surfaces. Isolation, identification, and antibiotic sensitivity patterns were performed via standard techniques. Results: After 48 hours of incubation, (54.5 %) of the swabbed surfaces showed positive bacterial growth and 45.5% showed no bacterial growth, of which 25% had gram-positive bacteria and 75% had gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus saprophyticus 3 (25%) was the identified gram-positive bacterial isolate, and Klebsiella spp. 5 (55.5%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 4 (44.4%) were the probable gram-negative bacterial isolates. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of clinical pathogens tested Staphylococcus epidermides and Klebsiella spp showed similar patterns which were sensitive to most antimicrobials used, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa was highly resistant to Cotrimoxazole, Cefatoxime, Cefixitin, Ceftazidime, Ceftricillin, and Calvu amoxicillin. Conclusion: This study confirms the need for rigorous disinfection protocols and hand hygiene to reduce the spread of these pathogens in the OR and NICU.