ABSTRACT
A study to phenotypically characterize and determine the antibiogram of coagulase positive Staphylococci (CoPS) from the external surfaces of hospital cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) was conducted using standard microbiological methods. Out of the 50 cockroaches collected from various hospitals in Uyo, sixty-two percent (n = 31) had coagulase positive Staphylococci which consisted of Staphylococcus aureus (44.0 %; n = 22) and Staphylococcus intermedius (18.0 %; n = 9). The CoPS isolates showed 100% resistance to Penicillin, Tetracycline, Clindamycin and 80.6% sensitivity to Amoxicillin-clavulanate. The CoPS showed multiple antibiotic resistances to ≥ 3 antibiotics, with 60 % exhibiting resistance to 6 antibiotics. Out of the 80 % (n = 31) of the multidrug resistant CoPS that were sensitive to Amoxicillin-clavulanate, none of them showed production of beta lactamase. The cockroaches bore multiple antibiotic resistant CoPS on their external surfaces and their contact can initiate contamination of patients' food. Pest control measures in hospital are hereby recommended to minimize cockroach related infections
Subject(s)
Humans , Periplaneta , Clindamycin , beta-Lactamases , StaphylococcinumABSTRACT
Background: Flies and cockroaches are two insects in close contact with human beings. They are carriers of human pathogenic bacteria on the external areas of their bodies or in their digestive tracts. This study examines Periplaneta americana and Musca domestica collected from the residential areas of six districts in Tangier; Morocco. Methodology: In total; 251 bacteria were isolated from external areas of the participants' bodies and the antimicrobial susceptibility was calculated. Results: The predominant bacterial species included Escherichia coli (17.9); Klebsiella spp. (14.7); Providencia spp. (9.6); Staphylococcus spp. (15.1) and Enterococcus spp. (11.6). The study showed no difference between the species of bacterial strains from American cockroaches and houseflies. Carbapenems and aminoglycosides were active against 100of the Gram-negative bacilli isolated in this study. Staphylococcus spp. strains were susceptible to linezolid; vancomycin; daptomycin; levofloxacin and cotrimoxazole; and no antibiotic resistance was found in Enterococcus spp. Conclusions: In our setting; although both cockroaches and flies collected from residential areas may be vectors of human pathogenic bacteria; the infections caused by them are easily treatable as a result of the high susceptibility of their bacteria to antibiotics routinely used in the community or in hospitals