Bacterial Profile of the Hands of Healthcare Professionals Working in ICUs and Wards of a Tertiary Healthcare Setup

Abstract

Background: Bacterial contamination on the hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) acts as a critical transmission bridge for healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). Monitoring the bacterial profiles and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns on HCWs' hands is vital for strengthening hospital infection control workflows. Materials and Methods: This prospective study evaluated hand swabs from 100 active on-duty HCWs across ICUs and wards over a six-month period (February–July 2023). Swabs were processed on blood agar media, and bacterial strains were identified via phenotypic and biochemical screening. Antibiotic sensitivity profiling was executed utilizing the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: Of the 100 processed samples, 27% were sterile, 31% showed monomicrobial growth, and 42% yielded polymicrobial growth. Out of 126 valid microbial growths isolated, Gram-positive cocci (GPC) were highly dominant at 85.7% (n=108), comprising Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CoNS; (n=81), 64.3%), Micrococcus (n=26), 20.6%), and Staphylococcus aureus (n=1), 0.8%). Phenotypic AMR detection highlighted that 11.1% of the CoNS isolates were methicillin-resistant (MR-CoNS) via cefoxitin disk testing. The single S. aureus strain was methicillin-sensitive (MSSA), and two Acinetobacter spp. isolates were fully pan-susceptible. Conclusion: While normal skin flora and benign commensals predominated, the isolation of opportunistic pathogens like MR-CoNS underlines the perpetual risk of cross-contamination and the continuous need for rigorous hand hygiene enforcement.

Keywords: Healthcare-associated infections; Hand hygiene; Healthcare workers; Coagulase-negative Staphylococci; Methicillin resistance; Antimicrobial susceptibility.