Profiles of Bacteria Isolates and their Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern among Housemaids Working in Communal Living Residences in Jimma City, Ethiopia

Background: Bacterial pathogens continued to be the major causes of foodborne gastroenteritis in humans and remained public health important pathogens across the globe. As regards, housemaids operating inside a kitchen could be the source of infection and may transmit disease-inflicting pathogens through infected hands. Profiles of bacteria isolates and their antimicrobial resistance patterns among housemaids employed in dwellings in Ethiopia; particularly in the study area haven’t been underexplored yet. Objective: A study aimed to assess the profiles of bacteria isolates and antimicrobial resistance patterns among housemaids working in communal living residences in Jimma City, Ethiopia. Methods: Laboratory-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 230 housemaids from April-June 2022. Hand swabs samples from the dominant hand of the study participants were collected under sterile conditions for the segregation of commensal microbes following standard operating procedures. Then in the laboratory, the swabs were inoculated aseptically using streak-plating methods on mannitol salt agar, MacConkey agar, Salmonella-shigella agar, and Eosin Methylene Blue Agar. Then inoculated samples were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours for bacterial isolation. In addition, a set of biochemical tests was applied to examine bacterial species. Data was entered into Epidata version 3.1. All statistics were performed using SPSS® statistics version 26. Descriptive analyses were summarized using frequency and percentage. Results: The response rate of respondents was 97.8%. The prevalence of bacterial contaminants in the hands of housemaids who tested positive was 72% (95%CI: 66.2-77.8%). The isolated bacterial were Staphylococcus aureus (31.8%), Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (0.9%), Escherichia coli (21.5%), Salmonella (1.3%), Shigella (6.7%), Klebsiella species (23.3%) and Proteus species (14.8%). The isolation rate of bacteria was significantly associated with the removal watch, ring, and bracelet during hand washing. Most isolated bacteria were sensitive to Chloramphenicol while the majority of them were resistant to Tetracycline, Gentamycin, Vancomycin, and Ceftazidime. Conclusion: Hands of housemaids are important potential sources of disease-causing bacterial pathogens that would result in the potential risk of foodborne diseases. Most isolated bacteria were resistant to tested antimicrobial drugs. Everybody responsible should work practice of good hand hygiene.