BACTERIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF INDOOR AND OUTDOOR AIR QUALITY IN AAUA HEALTH CENTER

The risk of nosocomial infection is increasing due to the increasing number of patients with immune depression. Good ventilation is one of the methods used to reduce the ambient air levels of the causative agents, but this is rarely observed in Nigeria as hospital designs used to shut out the inclement weather in temperate countries are copied without many modifications, and without adequate provisions to constantly power the mechanical ventilation mechanisms. This study tested the bacteriological air quality at AAUA Health Center to ascertain the levels of airborne bacteria in the ambient air. The study was carried out in randomly selected inpatient wards, outpatient clinics, and clinical laboratories of the health center. The assessment was carried out by using exposing Petri dishes containing the appropriate culture media for about 5 min at a convenient place in each of the study sites. Thereafter, the plates were covered and immediately transferred to the laboratory for incubation at 37°C, for 24 hours, for bacteria. The number and types of bacteria in the cultures were determined at the end of the incubation period. Results: There were detectable bacteria in the ambient air of all the study sites. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, and streptococcus pneumoniae were the bacteria isolated.