Infectious Risk Assessment of Unsafe Handling Practices and Management of Clinical Solid Waste

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to determine the bacterial agents present in various clinical solid wastes, general waste and clinical sharp waste. The waste was collected from different wards/units in a healthcare facility in Penang Island, Malaysia. The presence of bacterial agents in clinical and general waste was determined using the conventional bacteria identification methods. Several pathogenic bacteria including opportunistic bacterial agent such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes were detected in clinical solid wastes. The presence of specific pathogenic bacterial strains in clinical sharp waste was determined using 16s rDNA analysis. In this study, several nosocomial pathogenic bacteria strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Serratia marcescens, and Staphylococcus aureus were detected in clinical sharp waste. The present study suggests that waste generated from healthcare facilities should be sterilized at the point of generation in order to eliminate nosocomial infections from the general waste or either of the clinical wastes.

Occurrence of an Environmental Acinetobacter baumannii Strain Similar to a Clinical Isolate in Paleosol from Croatia

“…Multiresistant isolates of A. baumannii have been found in wastewater from hospitals in Brazil (30). A. baumannii has also been isolated from hospital solid waste (31). In a study on the occurrence of A. baumannii in the soil, screening of 49 soil samples resulted in the recovery of an Acinetobacter sp.…”

“…Therefore, it is hard to believe that the A. baumannii strain isolated from paleosol originates from the hospital wastewaters (30). The probable source of A. baumannii in the upper part of the paleosol profile (0 to 40 cm) is illegally disposed of waste of external origin (31) in the abandoned quarry where the paleosol under investigation is situated. The bacteria could have been leached from waste by storm water and thus could have infiltrated the paleosol.…”

Optimizing supercritical carbon dioxide in the inactivation of bacteria in clinical solid waste by using response surface methodology

“…(31.1°C, 7.4 MPa) is nontoxic and nonflammable. SC-CO 2 is effective against microorganisms because it destroys target microorganisms both physically and chemically (Hossain et al, 2013b;Jimenez et al, 2008;Kim et al, 2009). It is a gentle and viable sterilization method that can sterilize heat-sensitive plastics and polymers without damaging or lowering their quality (Dillow et al, 1999;Ellis et al, 2010;White et al, 2006;Zhang et al, 2006a).…”

Clinical Waste Management Practices: A Review

“…Tesfahun (2015) also point out that a proposed waste disposable method must have-2.4.1 minimal risk assessments for proposed waste management facilities, 2.4.2 minimal human health impacts 2.4.3 minimal environmental impacts (Sohrab Hossain et al, 2013).…”

“…A study from Sohrab Hossain et al, (2013) also mention that the generation of clinical waste in Malaysia has increased significantly over the last few decades. The management of wastes materials requires the immediate attention of the newly emerging economy a country such as Malaysia (Ambali, Bakar, & Merican, 2013) In clinical and related wastes arising from medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, or similar practices.…”