BACTERIA CONTAMINATION, WASH HAND BASINS,

Microorganisms are living things ordinarily too small to be seen without magnification, in terms of numbers and range of distribution, microbes are the dominant organisms on earth. The hands are probably the most exposed organs of the human body, to environmental bacterial contamination. They are the central organs for the physical manipulation and control of the surrounding environment. Wash hand basins are common amenities provided in toilets and other facilities used primarily for washing of hands and other purposes. They can become contaminated thereby putting the general public at a risk of infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bacterial contamination of wash hand basins in University of Benin Community, Benin city, Edo state, Nigeria.A total of 100 samples were collected asceptically from wash hand basins in toilets and other public facilities in University of Benin using sterile swab sticks moistened in normal saline. Swab samples were collected specifically from the knob of the taps
and the surface area where hands are rested on and analyzed by culturing on chocolate and MacConkey media and biochemical tests were carried out on isolates.The result from the study shows the prevalence of bacterial contaminating wash hand basins was 58.6%. A total of eight (8) bacteria isolated, which are Klebsiella spp, Providencia spp, Pseudomonas spp, Streptococcus
faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter spp, Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. However, Staphylococcus aureus has the highest prevalence rate of 36.6% which was followed by Klebsiella spp. With 19.5%, Escherichia coli with 14.6%, Enterobacter spp. With 12.2%, Providencia spp. Pseudomonas spp. and Proteus mirabilis has 4.9% each, and lastly Streptococcus faecaliswith 2.4% respectively. In conclusion, this study determined the distribution of bacterial transfer rates between various site of sampling surfaces of wash hand basins commonly encountered during hand washing in the University environment. The results shows a relatively high prevalence that bacterial transfer rates among student hands and wash 11 hand basins surfaces are highly variable, and faucet spigots may be a significant source of cross- contamination. Therefore, daily cleaning and disinfection in conjunction with a regular hygiene service are recommended to reduce cross-infection risks in washrooms and toilets .