MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF BATHROOM TOWELS USED BY STUDENTS OF A UNIVERSITY IN GHANA

Résumé

Background Bathroom towels are frequently reused personal hygiene items and may serve as reservoirs for microorganisms, particularly in shared living environments such as university residences. This study assessed the microbiological quality of bathroom towels used by students of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional study design was employed involving 80 students residing in university hostels. Questionnaire data were collected to document towel ownership and hygiene practices. Swab samples were obtained from bathroom towels and analysed using standard culture-based methods. Bacterial load was determined using the pour plate technique on Plate Count Agar following serial dilution, and results were expressed as colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL). Bacterial isolates were identified using conventional microbiological methods. Results Bacterial loads on bathroom towels ranged from 3.1 × 105 to 1.6 × 108 CFU/mL. Although bacterial loads varied descriptively across hostels, no statistically significant difference was observed between hostels. A total of 174 bacterial isolates representing 11 genera were recovered from the towels. Bacillus sp. was the most frequently isolated organism, followed by Serratia marcescens (25/174), while Acinetobacter species and Escherichia coli were the least frequently detected (1 isolate each). No statistically significant associations were observed between bacterial load and reported towel hygiene practices. Conclusions Bathroom towels used by university students harboured high bacterial loads and diverse bacterial taxa irrespective of hostel of residence or reported hygiene practices. These findings highlight the need for increased awareness of appropriate towel hygiene practices within student residences to reduce microbial accumulation on personal textiles.

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Texte intégral en lecture en ligne, réservé aux abonnés SPHAERO et aux membres de l'institution. Se connecter

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0