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Prevalence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in air samples from indoor and outdoor environments

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Abstract

The prevalence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in 48 air samples from indoor environments, surgical rooms, dental surgery and waste management plants has been investigated. A total of 280 bacterial strains belonging to different genera were isolated, and the operating rooms were the most contaminated ones (107 isolates), with all the isolates belonging to Gram-positive cocci (51.5 % Micrococcus spp., 48.5 % Staphylococcus spp.). Only 5 % of the isolates was sensitive to all the antibiotics tested, while the remaining strains resulted resistant to three (13 %), four (14 %), five (9 %) and six (10 %) antibiotics. Correlation between the resistance patterns and the environmental source of MDR bacteria isolates also emerged from the present investigation. This study confirms the high presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in air samples, finding that represents a threat for the possible transfer of resistance genes to pathogenic bacteria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Patrizia Messi, Carla Sabia, Immacolata Anacarso, Carla Condò, Ramona Iseppi, Sara Stefani, Simona de Niederhausern & Moreno Bondi

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 287, 41125, Modena, Italy

    Patrizia Messi

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  1. Patrizia Messi
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  2. Carla Sabia
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  3. Immacolata Anacarso
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  4. Carla Condò
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  5. Ramona Iseppi
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  6. Sara Stefani
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  7. Simona de Niederhausern
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  8. Moreno Bondi
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Correspondence to Patrizia Messi.

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Messi, P., Sabia, C., Anacarso, I. et al. Prevalence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in air samples from indoor and outdoor environments. Aerobiologia 31, 381–387 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-015-9371-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-015-9371-9

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