DOOR HANDLES OR KNOBS AS POTENTIAL THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH

Abstract

Background: The use of door handles or knobs have potential to increase the chances
of acquiring or transmitting pathogenic organisms. Aim: This study assessed bacterial
contaminant on door handles of tertiary education and health institutions and their

antibiotic resistance pattern was carried out in order to determine the possibility of
door handles being a potential public health risk.
Methods: Twenty swab samples each were collected from door handles of male
hostels of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and toilets, offices from Barrau Dikko
Teaching Hospital, Kaduna. Gram staining and biochemical tests were used to isolate
the bacterial contaminants while agar diffusion method was used to carry out
antibiotics susceptibility testing. Antibiotics resistance pattern of the isolates were
determined.
Results: A total of 56 bacterial isolates were obtained. Staphylococcus aureus 21
(37.5%) was the most predominant, followed by Escherichia coli 8 (14.3%),
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7 (12.5%), Streptococcus spp 6 (10.7%), Salmonella spp 5
(8.9%), Klebsiella spp 5 (8.9%), while the least were Bacillus subtilis 2 (3.6%) and
Proteus vulgaris 2 (3.6%). Ciprofloxacin 21 (77.8%), and ofloxacin 25 (86.2%) were
the most active antibiotics against the Gram negative and Gram positive bacterial
isolates respectively. The antibiotic resistance pattern showed 11 (40.7%) and 8
(27.6%) of the Gram negative and Gram-positive isolates respectively to be multidrug
resistant. Pandrug resistance was observed in 2 (7.41%) and 2 (6.9%) of the Gram
negative and Gram-positive isolates.
Conclusion: Pathogenic bacterial contaminants were observed in all the door handles
and knobs sampled. The multidrug resistance isolates observed in this study are
potential source of public health risk. Regular disinfectant of public and private door
knobs and handles and regular hand-wash is therefore recommended.