Althea Vol 2 No 3 FINAL.indd

Althea Medical Journal. 2015;2(3)

324 AMJ September, 2015

Antimicrobial Suspectibility of Bacterial Isolated from Burn Unit in Dr.
Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung, Indonesia

from June to September 2013

Yodya Evila,1 Sunarjati Sudigdoadi,2 Hardisiswo Soedjana3
1Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran, 2Department of Microbiology and Parasitology,

Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran, 3Department of Plastic Surgery Faculty of Medicine
Universitas Padjadjaran/Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung

Abstract

Background: Development of infection in burned patients is a crucial matter because it may increase
morbidity and mortality. Factors contributing to high risk for infections are disrupted skin barrier,
dysfunction of the immune system and prolonged hospitalization. Crowded hospital condition and transfer
of patients from one unit to another can affect development of infection caused by environmental factors.
The aim of the study was to identify the antimicrobial suspectibility of bacterial isolated from Burn Unit in
Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung.
Methods: A descriptive study was carried out in Burn Unit Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung,
Indonesia, from June to September 2013. A total of 30 environment samples were collected and cultured to
identify the bacterias. Futhermore, the colonies found, underwent antimicrobial susceptibility test.
Results: Most common bacteria found from the environmental samples in Burn Unit was Staphylococcus
saprophyticus (24%). Other bacterias found were Klebsiella pneumonia (17%), Acinetobacter baumanii
(15%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (12%), Bacillus sp.(12%), Pseudomonas sp.(7%), Staphylococcus
aureus (5%), Enterobacter aerogenes (5%) and Serratia sp. (2%). Some bacteria still had good sensitivity
to antibiotics while the Enterobacteriaceae were almost completely resistant to antimicrobial used in the
study.
Conclusions: The most common bacteria found from the environment samples in Burn Unit is
Staphylococcuss aprophyticus. Additionally, Klebsiella pneumoniae as one of the Enterobacteriaceae groups,
appears as an emerging hospital associated infection pathogen with their resistant to many antimicrobials.
[AMJ.2015;2(3):324–31]

Keywords: Antibiotic susceptibility, bacteria, burn unit

Correspondence: Yodya Evila, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jalan Raya Bandung-Sumedang Km.21,
Jatinangor, Sumedang, Indonesia, Phone: +6287823073772 Email: yodyaev@hotmail.com

Introduction

Hospital associated infection is one of the
causes of increased mortality and morbidity in
hospitals, and it is an important health burden
worldwide.1 The most common hospital
associated infection is burn wound infection.
Out of 64.72% cases of hospital associated
infections in burn patients, 62.02% of them
are burn wound infections.2 In burn patients,
infections arise from multiple sources such
as from the wound itself, decreased immune
system, and diagnostic procedures.3,4Burn
wound provides a place prone to colonization
by opportunistic organisms from either

endogenous or cross-infection due to
disrupted of the skin barrier.5 This cross-
infection arises among others by contact from
patient to patient, and the environment to the
patient.6 Crowded condition of the hospital,
transfer of patients from one unit to another
and concentration of patients which is easy
for being infected in one area, can affect
development of hospital infections caused
by environmental factors. Avni et al 3 stated
that septic shock is a major problem among
burn patients because it precedes multi organ
dysfunction and death.

Based on data from the study in the Burn
Unit at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General

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325

Hospital, Jakarta in 2010, the bacteria
most commonly found in the culture from
environmental samples were K. pneumoniae,
S. aureus, Enterobacter sp, Acinetobacter sp,
Bacillus sp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and
Citrobacter freundill.7 Burn wound infections
can be especially difficult to eradicate because
of multidrug resistance. Microorganisms that
are resistant to antibiotics usually lead to an

increase in considerable morbidity, and health
care costs. The objective of this study was to
identify the antimicrobial suspectibility of
bacterial isolated from the Burn Unit at Dr.
Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung.

Methods

Table 1 Bacteria Isolated from the Environment Samples

Bacteria Frequency %

Staphylococcus
S.saprophyticus 10 24.39
S. epidermidis 5 12.20
S. aureus 2 4.87
Enterobacteriaceae
Klebsiellapneumoniae 7 17.07
Enterobacteraerogenes 2 4.87
Serratia sp. 1 2.44
Non-enterobacteriaceae
Acinetobacterbaumanii 6 14.63
Bacillus sp. 5 12.20
Pseudomonas sp. 3 7.32
Total 41

Figure 1 Antibiotic Sensitivity of Staphylococcus
Note: TMP-SMX: Trimetophrim-sulfamethoxazole

Yodya Evila, Sunarjati Sudigdoadi, Hardisiswo Soedjana: Antimicrobial Suspectibility of Bacterial Isolated from Burn Unit
in Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung, Indonesiaf rom June to September 2013

Althea Medical Journal. 2015;2(3)

326 AMJ September, 2015

This study was carried out from June to
September 2013 in the Burn Unit at Dr. Hasan
Sadikin General Hospital Bandung and this
study was approved by the Health Research
Ethics Committee. Environmental samples
were collected from 4 care rooms with 2 m
length and 3 m width each, a bathroom, nurse
station and doctor’s room. A total of 30 surface
swabs were taken, consisted of 4 samples

from the floor, 4 samples from the bed sheet,
4 samples from the bedside table, 4 samples
from the curtain, 4 samples from the exhaust
fan, 2 samples fromthe air conditioner, 2
samples from the central room door handle,
1 sample from the bathroom door handle, 1
sample from the storage room door handle,
2 samples from the dressing cart, 1 sample
from the nurse station and 1 sample from the

Table 2 Distribution per Sampling Sites of Bacteria Isolated from Environment Samples

Bacteria Location Frequency

Staphylococcus
S. saphrophyticus Bedside table 4

Bed sheet 2
Nurse station 2
Curtain 1
Injection table 1

S. epidermidis Central room door handle 2
Bed sheet 1
Bedside table 1
Dressing car 1

S.aureus Exhaust fan 1
Dressing car 1

Enterobacteriaceae
K. pneumoniae Exhaust fan 3

Bed sheet 1
Bedside table 1

Enterobacteraerogenes Curtain 1
Air conditioner 1
Curtain 1
Central room door handle 1

Serratia sp. Bathroom door handle 1
Non-Enterobacteriaceae
A. baumanii Floor 3

Curtain 2
Bed sheet 1

Bacillus sp. Curtain 2
Bathroom door handle 1
Air conditioner 1
Exhaust fan 1

Pseudomonas sp. Floor 2
Exhaust fan 1

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injection table. All the samples were collected
in the afternoon.

Furthermore, sterile swabs filled with 0.5
ml of trypticase soy broth (TSB) were used to
swab the floor, elevated surface and inanimate
objects which were constantly in contact with
health care workers and patients.8 All swabs
were dipped into TSB as transport medium
and were brought and processed in the
Microbiology Laboratory Faculty of Medicine
Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor. Each
sample was inoculated on both blood agar and
Mac Conkey agar. All samples were incubated
for 24 hours at 37⁰C. Then, selected colonies
with typical morphology and pigmentation
on the blood agar and Mac Conkey agar were
Gram stained. Next, the Gram positive coccus
which grew on blood agar was then subjected
to catalase test and coagulation test. Coagulase
negative Staphylococci was identified with
novobiocin susceptibility test. The Gram
negative rod which grew on Mac Conkey
agar then was identified with biochemical
test including kligler iron agar (KIA), motility
indol urea (MIU) and citrate test. The data
were presented as frequency distribution and
showed in tables.

The procedure was then preceded to
antibiotics susceptibility test which was
performed on Mueller-Hinton agar by Kirby-
Bauer and Stokes’ disk diffusion method
recommended by the Clinical Laboratory and
Standard Institute (CLSI). Antibiotics used
for the susceptibility testing were based on
the group A antibiotics from CLSI which are

considered appropriate for inclusion in a
routine, primary testing and routine reporting
and also cefotaxime which is given as initial
treatment for all burn patients. The inhibition
zone diameter was then measured and noted
according to CLSI 2012 criteria which was
specific for each bacterium and antibiotics,
and classified as susceptible (S), intermediate
(I) and resistant (R).9

Results

This study indicated that Staphylococcus
saprophyticus was the most common gram
positive bacteria found (24.39%), and the
most common gram negative bacteria found
was Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.07%) (Table
1).

Most common inanimate objects colonized
by the bacteria were the curtains, as many as
7 colonies, followed by the bedside table and
exhaust fan (6 colonies each) (Table 2).

Additionally, antimicrobial suspectibility
tests were carried out to all bacterial colonies
isolated in the environmental samples. Figure
1 shows that Staphylococcus were completely
resistant to penicillin. Also, the highest
number of sensitivity was toward clindamycin.

Figure 2 shows that Enterobacteriaceae
were completely resistant to almost all
antibiotics tested, only gentamycin had a
slight effect to the bacteria.

Bacteria A. baumanii found in this study was
still sensitive to meropenem and ampicillin-

Figure 2 Antibiotic Sensitivity of Enterobacteriaceae

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328 AMJ September, 2015

sulbactam, but it had least sensitivity to
cefotaxime (Figure 3).

Discussion

Hospital environment provides a place for
colonization of microorganisms and some
of them were multi resistant to antibiotics.
Although health care workers and patients
are considered as major sources of hospital
infections, however some studies begin to

show that the growing role of the environment
is also important.10 Results of this study
indicated that bacteria commonly found in the
environment of burn unit were Staphylococcus
saprophyticus (24%). This is consistent with
the study which reported coagulasenegative
Staphylococcus as the most predominant
organisms in burn infection.5 Second, most
common bacteria found in this study was
Klebsiellapneumoniae (17%), followed by
Acinetobacterbaumannii (15%).

Compared to the study that had been

Figure 3 Antibiotic Sensitivity of Acinetobacterbaumanii

Figure 4 Antibiotic Sensitivity of Pseudomonas sp

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329

conducted in the Burn Unit at Cipto
Mangunkusumo Hospital from January to
December in 20107, bacteria found from the
environment were K. pneumoniae, S. aureus,
Enterobactersp, Acinetobacter sp, Bacillus
sp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Citrobacter
freundill. The results are slightly in contrast
with this study even though some bacteria were
also found in this study. The differences in the
findings of the bacteria between environment
of Burn Unit at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General
Hospital and Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital
could be possibly due to the geographical
factors, condition of the environment including
temperature and different hygiene. Another
factor affecting the differences could be related
to the antimicrobial usage policy.4

Besides, Staphylococci are pathogens
causing hospital acquired infections and in
particular for S. saprophyticus. It is gram
positive coccus coagulase negative and
common etiology of urinary tract infection.11
In this study, S. saprophyticus were most
commonly found on the bedside table.
Lack of personal hygiene of patients and
healthcare workers such as washing hands
could cause these bacteria to spread from
human to the environment and vice versa.
Bacteria S. saprophyticus is not the most
common Staphylococcus found in the cultures
from blood or wounds of burn patients in
the Burn Unit at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General
Hospital, which is S. aureus, likely it is because
Staphylococcus found in the patient’s body are
more pathogenic.

Other Staphylococcus found in this study
was S. epidermidis (12%) and S. aureus (5%).
Staphylococcus which is considered as the
major pathogen in humans is S. aureus, it is
commensal bacteria on the skin, nose, throat
and it can survive on dry environmental
surfaces. It can be spread through contact with
pus from infected sores, skin to skin contact
and contact with objects such as towels, bed
linen, clothing used by infected patients.11
In this study, the susceptibility test of
Staphylococcus to antibiotics was performed,
and it showed that these bacteria were
sensitive to clindamycin, 7 out of 17 colonies
were sensitive to clindamycin and fully
resistant to penicillin. Mechanism of resistance
to penicillin is usually by producing beta-
lactamase enzymes which is under control of
plasmid.10 Results from this study showed that
S. epidermidis were most commonly found on
central room door handle and S. aureus were
found from exhaust fan and dressing car.

Enterobacteriaceae found in this study

were Klebsiellapneumoniae (17%) as the
second most common bacteria found. This
result is in accordance with other studies
conducted in the Burn Unit at some hospitals
in India.12 Data from this study showed that
K. pneumoniae isolated in this study were
most commonly found from exhaust fan.
Another Enterobacteriaceae found were
Enterobacteraerogenes (5%) and Serratia sp.
(2%). As the most common gram negative
bacteria found in this study, K. pneumoniae
is a pathogen causing hospital infections and
is widely available in nature. The main source
of infection in the hospital environment by
K. pneumoniae are instruments that have
been contaminated with the bacteria contact
with patients.13 It showed resistance to many
antibiotics, based on a research conducted in
the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit,
out of the 130 isolates, 126 (97%) produced
extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL)
and it related to the high mortality rates that
occurred.14 Although in this study we did not
perform the ESBL testing, Enterobacteriaeceae
found were subjected to the susceptibility
testing and they also showed resistance
to almost all antibiotics tested including
ampicillin, gentamycin and cephalosporin
class antibiotics.

Acinetobacterbaumannii were found
as many as six (15%) in this study and
most commonly isolated from the floors. It
is gram negative bacilli and not motile. It
is considered as a significant nosocomial
pathogen with many infections concentrated
in intensive care, burns or high dependency
units treating severely ill or debilitated
patients.5 High degree of resistance to drying
and disinfectants, leading to long-term
persistence in the hospital environment and
to the occurrence of outbreaks of infections
affecting immunosuppressant patients such
as burn patients and increasing proportion of
multidrug resistant isolates make this bacteria
become an important problem in burn
wound management. Multidrug resistance
of Acinetobacter sp. is a cause of global
outbreaks. It is probably as a consequence of
increasing use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in
hospitals.5 Results from this study showed that
A. baumannii found in the burn unit were fully
sensitive to meropenem and still showed high
levels of sensitivity to ampicillin-sulbactam,
so those antibiotics are still effective to be
used for patients in the Burn Unit at Dr. Hasan
Sadikin General Hospital.

Pseudomonas sp. found in small amounts
in this study were 7%. They are gram-negative

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bacteria widely distributed in soil, water and
plants. In this study, these bacteria were most
commonly found on the floor. Sometimes,
Pseudomonas is an opportunistic pathogen.
The main pathogen and much reported as
they existed in the hospital environment
is P. aeruginosa, however it was not found
in this study. Pseudomonas sp. found on
environmental swabs in the Burn Unit at Dr.
Hasan Sadikin General Hospital showed high
levels of sensitivity to all antibiotics tested
including the cephalosporin group antibiotics
and macrolide group antibiotics.

Another bacteria found from the
environment of the burn unit was Bacillus sp.
(12%). However, Bacillus sp. isolated from the
environment in this study did not undergo the
susceptibility testing, for it was known that
the strain found in the environment is non-
pathogenic bacteria.

Bacteria found in the environment were
distributed in various inanimate objects, most
bacteria colonized the curtains and as many as
7 colonies of bacteria were found there. The
number of bacteria colonized on the bedside
table and exhaust fan were 6, it made the
bedside table and exhaust fan as the second
most common objects being colonized by
bacteria.

In this study, the swabs were not taken
from all environment surfaces of the burn
unit because there were limitation of time and
fund. In a further study, it might be needed to
take swabs from all the surfaces to represent
all bacteria colonized the entire environment
of burn unit.

This study showed that some bacteria could
be ubiquitous in the environment of burn unit.
Results from the antibiotics susceptibility
test showed that some bacteria still exhibited
a high level of sensitivity. The main factors
that caused an increase in the prevalence of
resistant organisms in hospitals were changes
on the organisms causing hospital infections,
changes in the organism due to the changes
in population characteristics of hospitals,
procedures and medical devices used on
patients.

Environmental contamination may
reach considerable levels and this could
result in contamination of the medical
instruments, health care workers and
patients. Microbiological study and antibiotic
susceptibility test from the environment of
the burn unit should be conducted routinely
to assist in monitoring the type of organisms
involved in infections and antimicrobial
resistance patterns.

It is important to prevent hospital associated
infections caused by environmental factors
and reduce contamination and potential cross
infection by disinfecting, careful isolation
techniques and routine procedures, right
antimicrobial choice and good hygiene of
the environment, scheduled cleaning of
environment in the burn unit using antiseptic
solution that can keep infection rates and
antimicrobial resistance rates low in burn
patients.

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