Infectious risk assessment of unsafe handling practices and management of clinical solid waste

Hossain, Md. Sohrab and Nik Ab Rahman, Nik Norulaini and Balakrishnan, Venugopal and Puvanesuaran, Vignesh and Sarker, Md. Zaidul Islam and Kadir, Mohd Omar Ab (2013) Infectious risk assessment of unsafe handling practices and management of clinical solid waste. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10 (2). pp. 556-567. ISSN 1660-4601 (O), 1661-7827 (P)

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Abstract

The present study was undertaken to determine the bacterial agents present in various clinical solid wastes, general waste and clinical sharp waste. The waste was collected from different wards/units in a healthcare facility in Penang Island, Malaysia. The presence of bacterial agents in clinical and general waste was determined using the conventional bacteria identification methods. Several pathogenic bacteria including opportunistic bacterial agent such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes were detected in clinical solid wastes. The presence of specific pathogenic bacterial strains in clinical sharp waste was determined using 16s rDNA analysis. In this study, several nosocomial pathogenic bacteria strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Serratia marcescens, and Staphylococcus aureus were detected in clinical sharp waste. The present study suggests that waste generated from healthcare facilities should be sterilized at the point of generation in order to eliminate nosocomial infections from the general waste or either of the clinical wastes.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	6605/31682
Uncontrolled Keywords:	clinical solid waste; clinical solid waste management; healthcare waste; pathogenic bacteria; sharp waste
Subjects:	R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Pharmacy
Depositing User:	Professor Md. Zaidul Islam Sarker
Date Deposited:	10 Dec 2013 10:54
Last Modified:	21 May 2014 15:23
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/31682

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