High Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Fitness Equipment from Selected Gymnasiums

Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus associated with a college-aged cohort: life-style factors that contribute to nasal carriage

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic human pathogen that can frequently be found at various body locations, such as the upper respiratory tract, nostrils, skin, and perineum. S. aureus is responsible for causing a variety of conditions, which range from minor skin infections and food poisoning to life-threatening sepsis and endocarditis. Furthermore, S. aureus has developed resistance to numerous antimicrobial agents, which has made treatment of S. aureus infections difficult. In the present study, we examined lifestyle factors that could increase the likelihood of S. aureus carriage, the overall prevalence of S. aureus, as well as assessed the antibiotic resistance profiles of the S. aureus isolates among a population of college students. Five hundred nasal samples were collected and analyzed via selective growth media, coagulase and protein A testing, as well as polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. One hundred four out of the 500 samples collected (21%) were identified as containing S. aureus. The S. aureus isolates were resistant to penicillin (74%), azithromycin (34%), cefoxitin (5%), ciprofloxacin (5%), tetracycline (4%), and trimethoprim (1%), but sensitive to gentamicin and rifampin. Lastly, we identified several lifestyle factors (i.e., pet exposure, time spent at the university recreational facility, musical instrument usage, and tobacco usage) positively correlated with S. aureus nasal colonization.

Bacterial Contamination of Surgical Instruments Used at the Surgery Department of a Major Teaching Hospital in a Resource-Limited Country: An Observational Study

Surgical instruments, be they disposable or reusable, are essential in any surgical procedure. Reusable surgical instruments should be properly sterilized or disinfected before use. However, the protocols are not always followed accordingly. This results in sterilization and disinfection failures, leading to a possible increase in the incidence of surgical site infections. This observational study report on bacterial contaminants identified instruments used for surgical procedures in a major teaching hospital in a resource-limited country. In total, 207 pre-sterilized surgical instruments and instrument parts used at three units—the general surgical theater, and the gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and urology endoscopy (uro-endoscopy) units—within the surgical department were randomly sampled and examined for bacterial contamination. Bacteria isolates were identified, and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined. Bacteria isolates that were identified included Citrobacter spp., Citrobacter freundii, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus hominis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Bacillus cereus was the most predominant bacteria isolated (30/61, 49.1%), and Staphylococcus hominis the least (1/61, 1.6%). In terms of the number of isolates from the three units examined, the uro-endoscopy unit recorded the highest followed by the general surgical theater and the GI endoscopy. However, there was no association between the various units and bacteria isolated, and no significant difference between the number of isolates among the various units (p = 0.9467, χ2 = 0.1095). In this study, even though CFU per device or device part counted was less than 20, bacteria isolated from the instruments used for a surgical procedure is of great concern considering that the setting of the study is a major teaching hospital. Multi-drug resistance was observed in almost all the isolated bacteria. Sterilization processes should be strictly adhered to, taking into consideration the length and temperature in order to reduce the risk of using contaminated instruments in these environments. It is therefore recommended that similar studies should be carried out in surgical departments at different levels of hospitals to ascertain the extent of this problem.

Phenotypic and genotypic profiling reveals a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospitals, houseflies and adjacent informal food retailers in Botswana

The increasing occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the environment, food and healthcare systems is a global public health concern. MRSA is reported to cause food poisoning, osteomyelitis and pyogenic infections of the skin, and consequently has been categorized as a high-priority pathogen by the World Health Organization. Here, we determined the presence of MRSA in clinical (n=56), food (n=150) and housefly samples (n=970) collected from two hospitals in Botswana. Characterization based on phenotypic (antimicrobial resistance, biofilm production) and genotypic (antimicrobial resistance genes and integrons) profiles were performed on all isolates. Of the total samples tested, 64 were positive for MRSA following conventional culture methods and PCR amplification of the mecA and mecC genes for confirmation of presumptive MRSA isolates. The confirmed isolates included 71 % (95 % CI 83.2-59.6) from clinical, 9 % (95 % CI 14--4.8) from food, and 1 % (95 % CI 1.6-0.4) collected from housefly samples. In total 89 % (n=57) isolates in the current study showed a multidrug resistance phenotype, among these, resistance to β-lactams and glycoside antibiotic classes were predominant. Genotypic characterization showed the domination of the blatem gene (95 %) followed by fox (63 %) and tetO (19 %) whilst vanA was only reported in 13 % of the isolates. Integrons were detected in 50 % (32/64) of the total MRSA isolates, and we report a high prevalence of etd gene, detected in 67 % (43/64) of the isolates followed by eta 38 % (24/64) whilst tsst-1 (3%) was the least detected genetic determinant. The genes etb and PVL were not detected in a ll the tested MRSA isolates. We provide the first report on the prevalence of MRSA isolated from the clinical-food-vector nexus harbouring biofilm and blatem genes, and antibiotic resistance profiles in Botswana. These results are significant for risk-assessment analysis and the development of improved MRSA infection prevention and control strategies.

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown During Spring 2020 on Personal Trainers' Working and Living Conditions

Purpose: The aim of this study was to map changes in working and living conditions of Norwegian personal trainers (PTs) during the Covid-19 lockdown spring 2020. Methods: A total of 150 PTs (mean (SD) age 35.5 (8.4) years, with 6.5 (5.3) years of experience as PT, and 61% female) in Norway responded to an online survey. Results: Number of PT sessions per week was reduced during the lockdown and the majority of the respondents reported loss of clients and negative impact on their working conditions. The official restrictions and guidelines were considered difficult to interpret and somewhat discriminatory compared to restrictions and guidelines for other comparable exercise occupational groups. The lockdown period provided more PTs to offer online and outdoor training. Living conditions were also affected with reported impairments in private economy and reduced vitality (p < 0.05), and with vitality being lower in female compared to male respondents during, but not before, the lockdown period. Discussion: The reported negative impact of the Covid-19 lockdown period on PTs' working and living conditions are discussed with focus on the reported gender differences and considering the previously reported poor reputation of the fitness industry.

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and public fomites: a review

Staphylococcus genus is a Gram-positive coccus normally associated with skin and mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals. It is part of the commensal human microflora, or found in animals, or contaminating surfaces in the community and hospital settings. Staphylococcus aureus is the most pathogenic species belonging to this genus, as it possesses a collection of virulence factors that are expressed solely to evade the immune system. The increase in the misuse of antimicrobial agents predisposed S. aureus to develop antibiotic resistance, including the resistance to methicillin which led to the emergence of Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (MRSA). MRSA is considered one of the most dangerous nosocomial pathogens causing many hard to treat infections in hospitals and was named as Hospital Associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). Over the past 20-25 years, MRSA was isolated from community settings and thus Community Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) has emerged. Inside hospitals, MRSA has been isolated from fomites in contact with patients, as well as staff's protective and personal items. This review highlights the worldwide prevalence of MRSA on fomites within the contexts of hospital and community settings.