Exposure and Health Effects of Bacteria in Healthcare Units: An Overview

Abstract

Healthcare units consist of numerous people circulating daily, such as workers, patients, and companions, and these people are vehicles for the transmission of microorganisms, such as bacteria. Bacteria species may have different allergenic, pathogenic, infectious, or toxic properties that can affect humans. Hospital settings foment the proliferation of bacteria due to characteristics present in the indoor hospital environment. This review article aims to identify the potential health effects caused by bacterial contamination in the context of healthcare units, both in patients and in workers. A search was carried out for articles published in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, between 1 January 2000 and 31 October 2021, using the descriptor hospital exposure assessment bacteria. This bibliographic research found a total of 13 articles. Bacteria transmission occurs mainly due to the contact between healthcare workers and patients or through the handling of/contact with contaminated instruments or surfaces. The most common bacterial contaminants are Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus, and the principal health effects of these contaminants are hospital-acquired infections and infections in immunocompromised people. A tight control of the disinfection methods is thus required, and its frequency must be increased to remove the microbial contamination of wards, surfaces and equipment. A better understanding of seasonal variations is important to prevent peaks of contamination.

Surveillance of WHO Priority Gram-Negative Pathogenic Bacteria in Effluents from Two Seafood Processing Facilities in Tema, Ghana, 2021 and 2022: A Descriptive Study

“…Third, E. coli , K. pneumoniae , Proteus spp., P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii , known to adversely affect human health [ 23 ], were identified in the effluent samples. There is a need to assess if these bacteria are also present in the seafood produced from these facilities, which can lead to food contamination of the seafood products.…”

Recent Advances in Multifunctional Mechanical–Chemical Superhydrophobic Materials

“…The adhesion and proliferation of bacteria on the surface of objects will lead to the formation of biofilms, which poses huge challenges for medical, health, and industrial applications ( Monteiro et al, 2022 ). The antibacterial material based on superhydrophobicity is an emerging method recently ( Li S. et al, 2020 ; Lan et al, 2021 ).…”

Standardization and quantitative analysis of Araucaria Heterophylla extract via an UPLC-MS/MS method and its formulation as an antibacterial phytonanoemulsion gel

“…Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) contribute greatly to infections in the hospital population and they are higher among the common bacterial infections, thus posing significant therapeutic challenges. In healthcare settings, the most frequent bacterial contaminants are Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Micrococcus luteus, which results in hospital-acquired infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients 2 . In particular, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are among the main reasons of hospital-associated SSTIs, that range from superficial abscesses to life-threatening illnesses 3 .…”