Abstract
Stethoscope has always been a part of the physicians’ basic tool for examining patients. Universal use of stethoscope for examination of patients by health care personnel makes it a potential source for spread of nosocomial infection. This study was designed to assess the potential for bacterial transmission by stethoscopes used by different health-care workers in Attat hospital. A cross sectional study was conducted from April to June 2018 in university of Wolkite, department of biotechnology and biology in molecular laboratory. During the study period there were a total of 26 stethoscopes from health professionals who had direct contact with patients are collected. Sample was collected by sterile cotton-tipped applicator moistened in a sterile solution of physiologic saline (0.85% sodium chloride) that was used to swab the entire surface of the diaphragm of the stethoscope and then inoculated into macconkey agar, tryptone soya agar and blood agar media. 18(69.2%) stethoscopes out of total collected stethoscopes had bacterial growth and 12 bacterial isolates were selected and characterized to genus level. Isolates include staphylococcus aureus(37.5%), coagulase negative staphylococci (28.12%), Streptococcussp. (21.88%), and Bacillus sp.(12.5%). All isolates were susceptible to the co-trimoxazole and ciprofloxacine, while resistant to cifoxitine. They showed intermediate growth against vancomycine. All except streptococcus were found resistant against penicillin. Both S. aureus and CoNS were sensitive to the chloramphenicol; Streptococcus was intermediate while bacillus was resistant to the chloramphenicol All stethoscopes (42.2%) that had never cleaned and last cleaned a week agowere highly contaminated while lower levels of contamination (27%) were found on those cleaned several times a day and cleaned between each patient before the examination of the patients.