Indoor Airborne Bacterial Concentration of a Private-Owned Hospital Laboratory in Samaru-Zaria

Abstract

A study on indoor air bacterial concentration in a private-owned hospital (Jama’a) laboratory in Samaru-Zaria is presented. Investigations were carried out during the period of dry (8weeks) and wet (8weeks) seasons in 2007. Air samples and work surface samples were taken after the daily laboratory routine of analyses which were immediately conveyed to the department of microbiology postgraduate research laboratory in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria for relevant microbiological analyses. In most of the samples, multiple growths of bacteria were observed with the highest bacterial airborne mean concentration: 8.0 × 10 ³ CFU/m² in wet season at the 7^th week of sampling and the highest surface count: 3.0 ×10² CFU/m² in the dry season at the 1^st, 3^rd and 6^th weeks. The predominant bacteria isolated from investigated air and surface samples included Staphylococcus spp, Micrococcus spp, Proteus spp, Streptococcus spp, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas spp and Bacillus spp. Among these microbes are pathogenic and allergenic species.

Keywords: Airborne bacteria, concentration, hospital, indoor, laboratory