Contamination of hospital disinfectants with antibiotic-resistant bacteria

ABSTRACT

Resistance to 11 antimicrobial drugs was assessed 148 isolates of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. These organisms were harvested from 702 samples of inuse dilutions of eight disinfectants commonly used in hospitals. Collectively, more than 90% of these organisms were antibiotic- resistant and more than 70% of them were multiple resistant. The resistance patterns were so complex and different that 87 resistance spectra were recorded. The minimal inhibitory concentration estimation of ampicillin or tetracycline showed a considerable variation ranged from less than 0.625 to more than 160 ug/ml. The resistance to chemotherapeutic and non-chemotherapeutic agents and their implications are also discussed