“NEWS ON AIR!” - AIR SURVEILLANCE REPORT FROM INTENSIVE CARE UNITS OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

ABSTRACTBackground: The role of airborne microorganisms in the nosocomial infections is debatable since past. Very limited and inconclusive data availableabout the contribution of the air microflora, especially the multidrug resistant (MDR) one, to the hospital-acquired infections in the Intensive CareUnits (ICUs).Objective: To analyze the microbial population and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the indoor air in relation to the nosocomial infectionsin the different ICUs at different periods in the tertiary care hospital.Methods: Microbial monitoring of the air was performed in 5 different ICUs for 1 year by passive sampling method.Results: A total of 221 air samples were collected for 1 year from five different ICUs. 92.53% were Gram-positive bacteria and 8.11% were Gramnegativebacteria. Staphylococcus spp. (34.21%) and Acinetobacter spp. (63.04%) were the most common isolated bacteria among Gram-positiveand Gram-negative organisms, respectively, and among the fungal isolates, all of them were Aspergillus spp. (5.84%) from the air sample. Ventilatorassociatedpneumonia was the most common nosocomial infection and Acinetobacter spp. was the frequently isolated MDR organism.Conclusion: Air could be the major source of nosocomial infections by MDR Gram-negative organisms in the ICUs which require special attention andsurveillance.Keywords: Air sampling, Intensive Care Units, Multidrug-resistant organisms, Nosocomial infection.