Isolation, Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Bacteria from Bed Linens Used by Tertiary Students in Hostels

Bed sheets and pillowcases are not often regarded as a source of pathogenic microorganisms with severe health implications. The purpose of this study was to isolate and identify bacteria from the hostel of tertiary students' bed sheets and pillowcases. A total number of 160 bed sheets and pillowcases from male and female students, 40 and 120, respectively, were swabbed aseptically using a sterile swab stick moistened with peptone water and immediately transported to the laboratory. A serial dilution was made to enumerate and isolate the organisms present. Gram staining and a series of biochemical tests were used to identify the isolates. Antimicrobial sensitivity was done using a disc diffusion test. Of the 160 samples collected, the bed sheet and pillowcase yielded 230 bacteria in total. The highest bacteria isolated was Bacillus spp (26.19%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.48%), and the least Enterobacter spp. 2.38%. Both pillowcases and bed sheets contain poly-microbial contamination, but there is more in the bed sheet (72.62%), and it is statistically significant. The mean microbial count ranges from 3.6 x 10^5 to 7.23x 10^8 CFU/ML. Most of the isolates demonstrated very high multiple-drug resistance. The findings showed that contaminated bed sheets and pillowcases are a probable route of microbial transmission and a health risk to users.