Pre- & post-fumigation bacteriological surveillance of hospital environment

Study of bacteria in the environment and surfaces of hospital wards revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus faecalis, Acinetobacter species, coagulase negative staphylococci and Serratia marcescens to be the predominant bacterial isolates. Surface sampling following fumigation showed significant reduction in most of the isolates. Bacterial counts in the air also showed considerable decline. Fumigation under proper technical supervision showed significant reduction in bacterial count as compared to that carried out without such supervision. This study highlights that certain bacterial species are predominantly found in the hospital environment and emphasises the need for frequent supervisory monitoring of hospital wards.