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. 2013 Oct 3:7:59-66.
doi: 10.4137/EHI.S12820. eCollection 2013.

Microbial carriage of cockroaches at a tertiary care hospital in ghana

Patience B Tetteh-Quarcoo  1 , Eric S Donkor, Simon K Attah, Kwabena O Duedu, Emmanuel Afutu, Isaac Boamah, Michael Olu-Taiwo, Isaac Anim-Baidoo, Patrick F Ayeh-Kumi
Affiliations

Microbial carriage of cockroaches at a tertiary care hospital in ghana

Patience B Tetteh-Quarcoo et al. Environ Health Insights. .

Abstract

Cockroaches are common in the environment of many hospitals in Ghana; however, little is known about their public health risks. To evaluate potential risks, we investigated the external and internal microbial flora of 61 cockroaches from a tertiary hospital in Ghana and evaluated the antibiotic resistance profiles of the common bacterial species. Standard methods were used in all the microbiological investigations and antibiotic susceptibility testing. A rotavirus carriage rate of 19.7% was observed among the cockroaches. Four types of intestinal parasites were carried externally by the cockroaches, and the most prevalent was Hookworm (4.9%). Eight nosocomial bacteria were isolated from the cockroaches, and the most prevalent was Klebsiella pneumoniae, which occurred internally in 29.5% of the cockroaches and 26.2% externally. Multiple drug resistance among common bacteria isolated from the cockroaches ranged from 13.8% (Escherichia coli) to 41.1% (Klebsiella pneumoniae). Cockroaches constitute an important reservoir for pathogenic microorganisms, and may be important vectors of multiple resistant nosocomial pathogens in the studied hospital.

Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae; antibiotic resistance; cockroach; hookworm; nosocomial; rotavirus.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Antibiotic resistance prevalence rates of common bacterial species isolated from cockroaches.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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