A retrospective analysis of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers of south east Assam, India

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are the frontline warriors, more prone to contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They also have tremendous possibility of serving as transmission vectors to others. In India there is paucity of data on COVID-19 infection among HCWs. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the infection risk, clinical features, and source of infection, transmission and outcome in HCWs to safeguard them and to check further community spread.Methods: The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of COVID-19 infection among HCWs and to understand the risk factors for infection. Demographic and clinical data of HCWs declared SARS-COV-2 real time RT-PCR positive by VRDL, SMCH, Silchar during June 2020 to July 2021 was obtained from ICMR portal.Results: On data analysis it was found that during the study period a rate of 3.95% (316 out of 7997 cases) infection was among HCWs. Their mean age was 36 years. With maximum cases among male staffs (57.9%), and most common age group was young generation of 17-29 years. The peak acquisition of infection was in July 2020 during ATSP surveillance with 45.5% of infected HCWs. Of the infected HCWs majority were asymptomatic (74%) Although hospitalization rate was high i.e. 82.9% but severity was low with no mortality. Co-morbidity among infected cases was low 23.4%, usually in the aged group of ≥45 years. Doctors/PGTs and Nurses were the highly affected group.Conclusions: Safeguarding the HCWs from infection is the critical need for empowering the healthcare system and overcoming any pandemic in future as well. 

Microbiological surveillance of operation theatres, labour room and intensive care units of a tertiary care centre of South-East Assam

Background: With increasing incidence of health care associated infections, microbiological surveillance of air and surfaces of OT, labour room and ICU can become an integral part of hospital infection control practice as it helps in identifying the areas harboring nosocomial pathogens leading to healthcare associated infection. Purpose of the current study was 1) to isolate and identify the microbial contaminants of air and surfaces of various OTs, labour room and ICUs 2) to study the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolated pathogens.Methods: This surveillance was carried out in operation-theatres, labour room and ICUs of tertiary care referral hospital of South-east Assam in June 2019 and processing of the samples were done in the department of Microbiology. Passive monitoring of air borne microbes was done by settle plate method on Nutrient Agar and Blood Agar plates and surfaces swabs were inoculated on Blood and MacConkey agar and pathogens were identified using biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by disc diffusion method on Mueller Hinton agar.Results: Surgery O.T. with 57 CFU/mm3 and central ICU with no growth showed highest and least contamination respectively. Proteus mirabilis was isolated from Surgery O.T. and SNCU level II, Klebsiella pneumonia from air and surfaces of surgery and gynaecology O.T. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from air and surfaces all O.T. except ophthalmology O.T. Surface swabs recovered Pseudomonas spp from surgery minor O.T and orthopedics O.T and Acinetobacter spp from arthroscopy O.T. The pathogenic gram-negative bacilli though isolated, were mostly sensitive to 1st and 2nd line antimicrobials. But 85% of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were MRSA.Conclusions: The result of this targeted surveillance highlights the need of regular and effective antiseptic cleaning of all surfaces in these crucial areas of the hospital. The unauthorized movement, entry and overcrowding should be avoided as far as possible in these zones. The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of gram negative isolates hints at their community-based origin

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Assam

Aims: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a serious problem in intensive care units, because of development of multiresistance, and also intrinsic resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. The present study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of MRSA and their rate of resistance to different antistaphylococcal antibiotics. Materials and Methods: Between January 2007 and February 2008, the clinical specimens submitted at the microbiology laboratory were processed and all S. aureus isolates were included in this study. All isolates were identified morphologically and biochemically by standard laboratory procedures and antibiotic susceptibility pattern was determined by modified Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results : Methicillin resistance was observed in 34.78% of isolates, of which 37.5% were found to be resistant to all commonly used antibiotics. In MRSA isolates, 50% had constitutive resistance, 9.38% had inducible MLS B resistance and 18.75% had MS phenotype. Conclusions: There is a progressive increase in MRSA prevalence in the country but the present rate is still low in comparison to values found in some other institutes. The rate of inducible MLS B resistance was also lower in comparison with findings from other parts of the country