Common bacterial contaminants isolated from hospital surfaces and their antibiotic sensitivity patterns at Kampala international university teaching hospital Ishaka, Bushenyi, South-western Uganda

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) continue to be a major worldwide health issue, especially in areas with limited resources. Hospital surfaces that have been contaminated are important sources of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Kampala International University-Teaching Hospital to identify the patterns of antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial contamination. In six hospital rooms and departments, 112 surface swab samples were taken from high-contact objects like wheelchairs, trolleys, surgical tables, beds, and doctor's tables. To isolate and identify the bacterium, standard microbiological methods were employed. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used to test for antimicrobial susceptibility, and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines were used to evaluate the diameter of zones of inhibition. IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25 was used to analyze the data.Bacterial contamination was detected in 41.1% (46/112) of samples. The most commonly isolated species was Staphylococcus aureus 59.6% (28/47), followed by Escherichia coli 10.6% (5/47), Bacillus species 10.6% (5/47), Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus 8.5% (4/47), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 6.4% (3/47), Klebsiella species 2.1% (1/47) and Enterobacter species 2.1% (1/47). Methicillin resistance was alarmingly present in 85% of Staphylococcus aureus samples, while high resistance to Clindamycin 92.8% (26/28) and Imipenem 89.3% (25/28) was also observed. Amikacin showed the highest efficacy 95.3% (23/28) against Staphylococcus aureus. Overall, Amikacin exhibited the highest efficacy against all tested bacterial isolates, whereas Clindamycin, Methicillin, Ceftriaxone, and Gentamicin showed the lowest activity across multiple bacterial species. Hospital surfaces harbor multidrug-resistant bacteria, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most prevalent. Strict infection control measures are necessary, as evidenced by the high rates of resistance Amikacin exhibited the highest efficacy, suggesting its potential role in empirical treatment. Enhanced antimicrobial stewardship and targeted interventions in high-risk wards are crucial to reducing nosocomial infections.