Carriage of multi-drug resistant bacteria among medical staff of the Yaound University Teaching Hospital, Cameroon

Multidrug-resistant bacteria remain a serious worldwide public health problem. Health care workers are particularly implicated in dissemination of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of multi-drug resistant bacteria (MRB) carriage by health care workers in high risk units of the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (YUTH). Nasal, rectal and hand swabs were collected from a sampled staff involved in patient care in the targeted units. The different bacteria were isolated on the appropriate selective culture media. The susceptibility of the different species isolated was done to confirm their different resistance phenotypes. Multidrug-resistant bacteria were isolated in 18.4% of the specimens and distributed in the different collection sites as follows: nose (60%), rectum (24%) and hands (16%). Methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureusrepresented 76% of these multidrug-resistant bacteria, extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing enterobacteracae (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Esherichia coli andEnterobacter cloacae) represented 22%, and highly productive cephalorinase enterobacteracae (E. coli) represented 2%. 62% of the staff included in the study carried at least a resistant bacterium. Health care worker in the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital serve as an important reservoir for multidrug-resistant bacteria.