title: Stethoscopes and nosocomial infection.
abstract: Stethoscopes are an essential tool of the medical profession and can become a source of nosocomial infection. A study conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, Kasturba Medical College and Hospital showed a high carriage of methicillin resistant staphylococcus (69.76%) and multi-drug resistant Gram negative bacilli (20.93%) on regularly used stethoscopes. The antibiogram of the bacterial isolates strongly suggested these to be nosocomial strains. A verbal survey revealed that regular cleaning is not common among doctors. A policy regarding cleaning of stethoscopes with an effective disinfectant may be helpful in reducing hospital-associated infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College and Hospital, Manipal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sengupta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sirkar
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Shivananda
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology*; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006801:Humans; D019023:Stethoscopes / Q000382:microbiology*