Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is a gram-negative bacterium that is the leading cause of nosocomial infections. This organism usually develops antimicrobial resistance, resulting in multi-drugs resistant A. baumannii. Adult and pediatric patients, including neonates with A. baumannii infections have a high mortality rate. The spread of A. baumannii in hospitals occurs through contact transmission, which could be direct contact with the hands of healthcare professionals, or indirect contact through contacts with the bacteria in various environments in the ward. This study aims to study the pattern of A. baumannii transmission in the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Thung Song Hospital, Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital and Tha Sala Hospital. Specimens were collected in 1) each patient's touch points, consisting of a bed or a cabinet of A. baumannii infected patients, an adjacent bed or cabinet, healthcare providers' hands and clothing. 2) Common touch points in the ward consisted of treatment record files, work desks in the ward, doorknobs, computers, telephones, sinks and bathtubs. The specimens were collected from October 2021 – September 2022. During the 12-month period, there were 27 patients with confirmed cultures of A. baumannii, of which 15 were from the infant intensive care unit of Thung Song Hospital, 5 patients from the pediatric intensive care unit of Maharaj Hospital and 7 patients from the pediatric intensive care unit of Maharaj Hospital. The results from both hospitals showed that the most contaminated areas of A. baumannii were each patient's bed (29.63%) and adjacent beds (29.63%). The other contaminated areas in the ward were healthcare providers' clothing (22.22%), infusion set (14.81%), monitor (11.11%) and healthcare providers' hands (11.11%). Regarding common touch points, the bathtub area (25.93%) was the most contaminated, followed by the patient's file (18.52%) and the desk in the ward (18.52%).
