Abstract

A survey to establish environmental contamination was conducted at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) of Jakarta by taking swabs from 90 hospital personnels who are directly involved in patients care. These swabs were taken from their hands, nails, throat and rectum. Swabs and cultures were also obtained from 167 equipments, solid and liquid material, food from the hospital, and the air in the hospital wards. From total of 437 specimen obtained, 73.7% showed presence contaminated result. There was 100% positive culture result noted in hands and nails swabs, 94.8% culture positive for any microorganism result was obtained from throat swabs while rectal swab indicated only 4.4% rate of contamination. Results of 167 swabs from material/equipments in the hospital, showed that 85.1% of them were not sterile, this included 59.1% of 54 liquid material, 37.3% from 35 liquid material which were supposed to be sterile, 100% positive culture of 17 liquid material specimen that were supposed to be clean. From solid materials 66.7% of 51 specimen were not sterile. This included 76.2% from 21 specimen that were supposed to be sterile, and 100% from 7 specimen that supposed to be clean. Also 100% non sterility was obtained from 23 other material and 62 equipment. Recovered bacterias consisted of both gram positive and negative bacterias and almost all of them represented normal human flora. Some of them potentially could became pathogen including pathogen for nosocomial infection. From the hospital personnels hand swabs, 25.4% were spore-forming bacteria and from the throat swabs 46.7% yielded Streptococcus ~ hemolyticus, and 4.4% were positive for coliform bacteria from rectal swabs. Results of material and equipment showed majority of aerobic rods (31.5%). Some of the bacteria recovered, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter aerogenes were resistant to commonly used antibiotics in the hospital (Ampicillin, Tetracycline and Chloramphenicol).