Aerobacterias Staphylococcus sp. en las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos de un hospital universitario

Objective: To establish the concentration and the taxonomic identity of airborne Staphylococcus sp. present in the intensive care unit of an University Hospital. Materials and methods: Airborne bacteria were collected taking each sample in triplicate in the three intensive care units, using two-stage cascade impactor with selective agar for the sampling and cultivation of bacteria. The impactor was set up at a height of 1.5 m above floor level, and operating at air-sampling rate of 28,3 l min-1 for five minutes. After sampling the plates were incubated at 37°C for 48 hr and colony forming units on each plate were counted and subsequently done by the taxonomic identification to species level. Results: The maximum concentration of Staphylococcus sp. reported 412.25 ± 56.3 CFU/m³ in the adult intensive care unit, whereas than the maximum average was 287.99 CFU/m³ in the same intensive care unit. The minimum concentration was obtained in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care with a value of 2.36 ± 1.5 CFU/m³, and the minimum average reported was 77.00 CFU/m³ in the neonatal intensive care unit. S. haemolyticus was the specie most frequently identified. Conclusions: The concentration of Staphylococcus sp. exceeds the aerobiological values presented in other studies at hospitals. Besides, increasing the probability of contracting nosocomial infections as result of the exposure to airborne bacteria, reported 67.12% of breathable aerosols.